The wolpertingers passed around the summon, two leaped to the sides, one grazed his spikes, and another was cut as it continued on its way.
They had completely ignored Peko.
The trio quickly understood.
Kai clenched his jaw. Jarek continued to draw his bow, trembling. This time it wasn't the materialization that was shaking, but Jarek's hands.
And Peko smiled, almost laughing.
Kai looked back at the shelled one. It was no longer perched in its tree. It had left its branch and was slowly descending to get closer.
While the pack was still several meters ahead of them, a Wolpertinger emerged from the side. It had circled around the group, probably before the pack attacked.
Its hare-like body was covered with dark, taut leather. Its front legs looked normal until they unfolded and revealed two small claws, like miniature raptor talons.
Kai raised his shield to protect his chest.
But the wolpertinger wasn't aiming to kill. His shield still took the brunt of the impact. But the hare clawed his forearm and hip.
Nothing deep, but enough to remind him that his shield didn't block everything.
Kai inhaled, and he felt the pressure rise. Every moment, every small decision, everything mattered. Every extra second had to be earned.
He blinked, and the world stopped.
Part of the pack was frozen in mid-leap, the other part on the ground. The shelled wolpertinger was far behind the pack. Peko continued to smile, and his eyes shone with a brilliance never before seen in his pupils. He was surrounded, but paradoxically also the safest one at the moment. His shield summon was on the ground, its legs torn off, unable to get up. Jarek had his bow drawn, but his fingers had just let go of the string. The arrow was aimed directly at Kai's attacker, just a few meters away. This shot would probably be fatal.
The presence was there, between Kai and the pack. It was waiting.
Choose.
Kai didn't voice his thoughts, because the presence might react badly. But he needed to think.
He had quickly understood two things.
The shelled wolpertinger is the most dangerous when it uses its elemental attack. But it seems it can't repeat the same attack. Either it's out of mana, or it's closing in to use what's left.
He then looked at Peko.
Judging by the look on his face, this situation suits him just fine. His gaze is scarier than the hares'. It looks like he's going to hunt too… Though, that actually works out well for me in this case.
This is the first time we've fought together, but it's true that Nao mentioned Peko handles the damage with us. And that he often does quests alone.
Kai then looked at his wounds, all of them minor, but their number was steadily increasing. His shield was not enough against their numbers and their tricks. And the pack now preferred them to Peko.
Without armor, I'm in trouble. But I'll never have time to...
That thought was enough for him. He made his choice immediately.
[Uncommon] Augment: Full-Body Casting. Remaining points: 3.
[Uncommon] Power: Mana Supply. Remaining points: 0.
Kai looked at his hands with interest, trying to visualize the mana he felt flowing faster and more precisely.
He hadn't moved his stance since the blessing began. It had become a habit now. But he still reset his posture. Ready to fight for real.
Time ran again.
The clawed wolpertinger was ready to pounce on him again when an arrow pierced it directly through the heart, pinning it to the ground.
"Stay back, just shoot them," Kai ordered as he moved toward Peko.
Jarek hesitated for a split second, then understood the tone. He continued.
An arrow flew. Then another. Then a third.
The wolpertingers moved like a rising wave. Some leaped, others stepped aside. And above all, the small mounds of earth ceased to be perfect.
Not absent. Just... late, or incomplete.
Kai had guessed right.
It still has plenty of mana left, but it's clearly low. We shouldn't have to take that attack again, but it can still be dangerous from a distance.
Kai switched his shield for a short sword as he charged. He now held two weapons, one long and one short. But his materialization meant he wasn't unbalanced. And his training the day before allowed him to wield them properly enough.
For his part, Peko had jumped out of his summon. But this time, it didn't start to disappear. It pounced on the two nearest hares, spikes forward. It skewered the first and tore off a leg from the second. Then finally it began to disappear into thin air.
Beneath Peko, a long, muscular feline appeared. Its tail ended in a hard blade. As hard as its claws and fangs. Its back fit Peko's shape perfectly, so that he could lay low on it, clinging on with all four paws.
He ran and leaped from hare to hare toward Jarek. Crushing them under his claws, slicing them with his tail, or devouring them with his fangs.
By the time Kai reached him, he had already killed four. And the pack quickly realized their mistake in leaving him unchecked. And then it became obvious.
The wolpertingers began to avoid Peko. They circled him with a new awkwardness. They took a step back when his feline mount turned its head. They changed direction when his sharp tail swept through the air.
The rest of the pack focused on Kai.
A wolpertinger tried to pounce on Kai. Peko intercepted it diagonally, cut it off, and forced it to turn around. The wolpertinger hesitated, lost its timing. Kai sliced it with his axe.
Jarek shot an arrow. It stuck and finished off the hare wounded by Peko's first summon.
Peko left Kai in the front line. His shield summon had dissolved, and the crystal lay on the ground. A small heart of mana lay on the ground, glowing faintly in the short grass.
Kai gritted his teeth. He focused on his mana as much as on his movements.
We're slowly regaining the upper hand. But he just keeps popping out of the bushes. If this keeps up, we might lose in the long run.
A wolpertinger sprang up from the ground, like an eel in the grass. Its skin was shiny, wet, as if it were covered in a fine dew. It lunged at Kai's shin.
Kai plunged his sword straight into it.
The hare had time to reach him.
But a shin guard had appeared just before the bite. Leaving only a hard clack as a result of the attack.
Kai smiled, this time with confidence.
The one with the shell had climbed onto a mound a few meters away from Kai. A small ball of mana was beginning to form above him. Before him, two wolpertingers jumped directly at Kai.
Two more arrived on his left a little further away. And one on his right.
Kai leaped backward, moving closer to Jarek and Peko.
Peko was picking up the crystal. Jarek drew another arrow, aiming at the shelled hare. The hare tucked its head in for protection, while maintaining its earth spike formation.
Kai didn't try to conserve his mana. In a few seconds, he would be under attack from the five hares, and probably the earth spike. His entire body was immediately covered in solid armor. Even his head was helmeted.
He had already trained to materialize armor before he turned twenty. However, armor is much more complex than a simple weapon. You have to make sure it's maneuverable and the right size. The solid plates must be connected by joints that are strong enough but don't hinder the wearer.
But for this fight, and in the rush, he had kept it simple.
Each piece was independent, leaving complex parts unprotected. He was counting on surprise and speed to finish quickly before the pack found out.
He took a step forward, then another, while preparing his weapons to strike.
Kai slashed the first one, who was still aiming for his legs, not realizing that the claws were now useless.
The wolpertinger fell, and another took its place.
Then another. Each desperately trying to hurt him with simple claws or fangs.
But the last two were going to be a problem. He saw it briefly.
One had claws again. But they were different. They glowed scarlet red. Probably fueled by fire magic.
And the other had a scorpion's stinger again.
Kai stopped, his posture was now defensive. His eyes checked the two hares, then the earth spike.
Materialized armor won't be enough...
Behind him, Peko summoned again.
A new form sprang up around the crystal in midair, as if the mana had swallowed it and spat out a beast. A new low, compact biped, whose back was a hard plate and whose sides bore segments of shields embedded like metal scales.
And the summon stood in front of Jarek without hesitation. While Peko ran toward Kai again.
But suddenly, the bushes stopped sending out more hares. Instead, they began to swallow them back up.
They all began to return to the bushes.
The two hares about to attack Kai stopped and were about to leave. Kai took the opportunity to swing his axe at the one with the fiery claws.
His axe was struck by the earth spike and stuck in the ground. He immediately let go of it, and it disappeared. Kai started to run to plant his sword, but Peko stopped him.
"Don't!" he shouted. "Let's take advantage of this to go to the village."
Kai stopped and looked at the shelled hare. It had left its position and was also running toward the forest.
Kai dispelled all his weapons and armor.
Jarek looked at his hand, the bow was disappearing into the air.
He was about to speak when they heard voices coming from the road.
"Over there! In the grass!"
It was Rin's voice.
There were five of them running from the village. Rin was in the lead, her chain ready to be thrown.
Behind her, Nao followed with his blade drawn. Towa was struggling to keep up in his armor, but he was giving it his all.
He was accompanied by two adventurers. One had dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail and a slender figure, hidden under a short midnight blue coat with slits for running. Under her cape, she wore a tunic dress reinforced with leather plates on the hips and sides. Bracelets adorned with micro-crystals of mana could be seen on her wrists as she ran.
The second was taller and more robust, with dark blond hair that disappeared under her helmet. She ran in semi-light armor made of leather with a few metal plates. A claymore was carried on her back.
Kai saw them running straight toward them. He instantly turned to Jarek to make sure he was okay. He was. Kai was the only one injured, which reassured him.
He turned back to the group approaching them and said, "He's not hurt, let's hurry to the village before they come back."
Rin was still running toward him and stopped right in front of him. Her eyes scanned his forearms, ribs, legs...
She didn't say anything for more than a second, then punched him in the shoulder. Not hard, but enough to make him wince.
"But you are, so don't act like a tough guy."
Kai replied immediately. "It can wait until we get to the village."
Rin turned to Nao, frowning.
Nao understood immediately without her having time to speak. He approached and quickly assessed his condition. He simply bandaged his leg to prevent the wound from opening further during the walk, then said, "It's okay, it's not deep. He can walk, I'll take care of it while walking."
Rin finally relaxed and turned back. "Go ahead, I'll cover up the rear."
Peko, who was recovering his mana crystal from his summon, stopped them from leaving already. "We should take as many carcasses as we can."
Jarek confirmed. "It's too close to Selis. And they will come back if we leave free mana here."
The two adventurers came closer to Jarek.
Jarek recognized them immediately. "Oh, Elsa and Elena, are you still in the village?"
Elena answered for them, clutching her bracelet. "The village has been trapped by these hares for a week now. We're starting to run out of food."
Elsa stepped in. "Let's take all the carcasses. We'll need them."
Kai conjured a large net using his last reserves of mana. But Nao shared his with him, both to heal his wounds and to keep him from running out.
They piled the carcasses onto it. Then they set off for the village, the net carried by Rin, Jarek, Elsa, and Elena. Towa walked ahead, closely followed by Nao, who was still busy channeling his mana into Kai's wounds. Peko wasn't on a summon anymore. He was on Nao's shoulders.
Behind them, high in the sky, the bright new cloud started to weaken.