Four hours later, Dana and I sit outside, eating lunch. I sigh, stretching my legs out before me, rolling my neck and shoulders.

“Good practice, hmm?”

Dana nods, chewing steadily. “Aye, I think we’re getting somewhere already. Let’s keep the practice up, let’s make this as close to perfect as possible!” she takes another bite. I do the same, munching idly.

I look up at my girlfriend. “Dana?”

“Aye?”

I smile. “Well, there are two places we can think about visiting, but I think I should get stronger. If these areas are more difficult, I should probably level up as much as I can…”

“Which areas?”

I nod. “First, we could head upward, to the sky-lands, the realm of the Skyborn and the other avian races, but I think we should really recruit more guild members before we go. We can also head somewhere else. If we head far to the west of Vassim, we can reach a place called the Darkwood Heights. Apparently, there’s a Demon Lord there who seems to be gathering an army. Ginger and I ran into a type of demon called an Infernal Warden.  She mentioned the Darkwood Heights and her master, the Demon Lord of Extinction…”

Dana’s eyes sparkle. “The Demon Lord of WHAT?! OHHH, I wanna fight him! Demon Lords have GOT to be like… Raid Bosses or something!”

I roll my eyes and smile. “Of course you do. Look, Miss Level-60-walking-magical-apocalypse, YOU might survive, but I won’t! You’re like, 15 levels higher than me; I need to get way stronger!”

Dana reaches out and pulls me into a cuddle. “I can help, if you want? If we party up and head out towards the mountains, the enemies there are much higher level. You can earn more exp. if you’re helping take down bigger and nastier things. I know I said you’d earn less, but I’ve done a little looking into it, and apparently it balances out better than I thought. And, this way I can keep an eye on your hp, the enemy will target me over you because I’m stronger, and I can bail you out if you get into too much danger. Sound good? We don’t HAVE to go to the Skyborne lands OR the Darkwood Heights just yet, right?”

I relax into Dana’s embrace for a second, before standing. “You’re right. Anyway, we still have some time to keep practicing, right?”

She smiles. “Aye, we still have a couple of hours. C’mon, let’s finish up our practice; we’re making good progress for our first day!”

We head back inside the studio, and I reset my phone, starting the same song over as we take it from the top once more…

 

I log back into Aegis Online, waking up in my cabin aboard the Devil Hunter, stretching as I sit up, before I stand, my wings snapping out. I ruffle them, before equipping my armour.  Striding out of my cabin, I greet Tirran, her purple robes flapping in the stiff breeze.

“Good afternoon, Tirran. Any issues while I was unavailable?”

She turns and snaps a salute. “None, Guildmaster. Will we be setting off today? Also, there’s a centaur with wings who’s made herself at home in one of the cabins, did you know that?”

I smile and nod. “Yes, Ginger’s one of us. And yes, we’ll be waiting for my second-in-command. She’s got plans to hunt down a monster of great power. I’ll be accompanying her, but the trip would take time that even my wings wouldn’t be able to make.”

 

Tirran nods. “Just let me know when we’re ready, and we’ll cast off at your command.”

I smile. “Will do, thanks.”

I head towards the bowsprit, bringing up my menu and contacting Asteria. “Hello, babe!”

“Ahoy, darling! So, are we ready to begin our hunt?”

“Indeed! We’re just waiting on you! I hope you’ve got some skill with operating an airship!”

“On my way, just spending a few Ability Points on a new spell or two! I’ll see you in a few minutes!”

 

Sure enough, Dana arrives in about ten minutes. She’s… wearing something new! Not the militaristic pink uniform, not the battle ballgown, and not her Gothic outfit, but something else.

“Hiiii, honey!” she waves, and alights on the deck of my ship. She’s clad in a sort of dark-blue bodyglove, with silver-chased leather armour at her shoulders and hips, with matching bracers and thigh-high boots, an elegant silver diadem set with moonstones. A cloak of the same dark blue fabric, edged with silver embroidery in swirling patterns, hangs down her back.

The whole ensemble accentuates her sinful curves, and almost looks painted on. I feel my face flushing, and I try to keep my jaw from falling off and skittering overboard.

“So, my darling Kettrin, what do you feel like hunting? A wyvern? Basilisk? Hydra? Or anything else you have your heart set on?”

I bite my lip. “Can I hunt YOU?! I mean, I don’t know. What gives a good amount of exp. and still poses a challenge? While I wanna level up, I don’t want to just… get given levels. I DO want to earn my power-ups, after all.”

Dana smirks. “Well, I’d recommend the wyverns. They’re worth several thousand a kill, and the materials make for great lightweight armour. In fact, this set is crafted from wyvern hide! The fangs, claws, and the hide are all valuable materials, and they’re relatively common around the upper foothills of the mountain ranges.”

I smile and nod. “Wyverns, then. I’ll do my best to take them on without your help, but I really appreciate the beautiful bodyguard!”

Dana nudges me with her hip as I begin setting a course, following her directions as Tirran monitors the main crystal, occasionally firing some mana into it in order to adjust the propulsion system in order to counter the infrequent turbulence.

 

In about two hours, the Devil Hunter’s moved away from Vassim, out towards the Black Peaks, the volcanic mountain range to the northwest of the capital. The forest below starts to thin, and I work the controls, reducing speed until the Devil Hunter hangs, still, in the air. Tirran heads below decks, and Farne takes her place, groomed and alert, ready to start his shift.

“Guildmaster. My twin has filled me in on your mission. I’ll make sure the ship is ready to depart for Vassim upon your return. I’ll also contact you if there’s any change in our current situation.”

I smile. “Thank you. We’ll try not to be gone for too long. If Ginger shows herself, can you ask her to make sure there’s some space in the cargo hold? We may return with goods for trade!”

“As you wish, Guildmaster. May the Lady of Storms guide you.”

With Farne’s farewell ringing in my ears, Dana and I head for the portside gunwale and dive off, our differing wings  bearing us at a downward angle,  as we head towards the foothills of the Black Peaks, the forest thinning as the mountains jut up from the ground below. I follow Dana as she whistles, her wings tilting as she changes course.  I feel my wings beat at the air, the greenery rushing past below as we fly for a ridge of dark stone, alighting on the rocky ground. I equip my greatshield and swordspear as Dana’s magic sabre appears, back in its rapier-like appearance.

 

 Dana kneels, checking the forest below, and smirks. “Ooooooh, I think we just hit the jackpot! Look!”

I peer over the brink, looking down. From down at the forest’s sparse edge, I can see a pair of reptilian creatures, with wings instead of arms, roaring and snarling. They both look wounded, and, as I watch, the two wyverns clash, clawing and biting at each other, turf and branches flying in all directions. I gulp. “Well, those two seem to be VERY cross. Why are they fighting, though?”

Dana shrugs. “Territorial dispute, most likely. Anyway, you should probably get in there!”

I gulp. “Please tell me they don’t breathe fire or something?”

Dana shakes her head. “Nah, they don’t have any breath weapon. Other than halitosis, that is.”

Reassured, I dive off the mountainous ridge, swooping down to insert myself into the raging ‘argument’. Drawing my swordspear back, I channel a Thunder Cannon into it, and then activate Kamaitachi, shrouding the blade with wind, the lightning churning over the metal, before I launch it, aiming at the slightly bigger of the two draconic beasts.

 From below, I hear a furious, pained bellow, Recalling my weapon, as I dive, using Sky Hammer to slam my shield into the big wyvern’s snout, blood and a couple of fangs scattering across the ichor-soaked , claw-gouged sward.

 

The smaller wyvern’s tail lashes out, and I yelp as I get slammed forward, bouncing off the grass as I use my wings to rotate myself into a somewhat-more-graceful skid, keeping my feet. The bigger one tries its own tail, but I raise my shield, catching the corded whip of muscle and scale on the protective surface. I slash with my swordspear, and a howling roar resonates, echoing off the Black Peaks. The last three feet of the larger wyvern’s tail goes rolling across the ground and the smaller wyvern pounces, sinking its fangs into the haunch of the freshly-wounded dragon-kin.

Taking advantage of the situation, I thrust my blade forwards, driving it into the smaller wyvern’s side. It stiffens, before going limp, its hind legs clawing at the dirt as the light fades. Its jaws remain locked around the thigh-meat of the still-living drake. The bigger one tries to re-orient itself, and I feel an influx of strength as a nice big haul of exp. points come my way. Ding! Level 45, baby!

Tugging my spear back out, I bring it round and prepare myself. However, while the next tail-swipe doesn’t hit me, I’m blinded as a spray of thick, greenish blood coats my face. Stumbling back, I’m flattened by a swift blow from the remaining beast. I can feel one of my ribs crack as I take the blow to the side.

I skip three or four times across the grassland, feeling my cracked rib protesting at the rough impacts. Using the butt of my spear to lever myself onto my feet and digging deep, I activate Strength of the Ancients, feeling my body regain its vigour.  The wyvern narrows its burning amber eyes, as if sensing that I’m not quite as finished as it would hope.

I quickly fidget with my shield, readying it for a renewed assault while I let my ability restore my hp as much as possible, an almost-stalemate dragging on, before launching myself into the air. The Wyvern tenses, hunching, before pursuing me into the air. I beat my wings, trying to get as high as I can. I don’t think I can really say if I’d survive a clash with one of these at its full power.

The trees become small, then tiny, as I shoot up, passing the four-hundred-feet mark, then six-hundred, the wyvern in hot pursuit, the wind growing colder and sharper. By the time I’m hitting the thousand-foot altitude, the freezing, thin air almost chilling my feathers to ice, I’ve gained a little distance. Time to try this…

Looping, I dive down, gaining speed, plunging towards the rising wyvern as it opens its jaws, extending its neck. Furling my wings, I feel a handful of feathers scatter to the wind as I bring my swordspear down, landing the strike I’d planned, right at the base of the wyvern’s left wing. With a loud ripping, tearing sound, the entire wing is severed, and, as I kick my legs out, pushing away from the plummeting beast, I snap my wings open, following at a somewhat more relaxed pace, as the wyvern flails, unable to keep its bulk aloft with only one wing. It helicopters down like a Sycamore seed, only… a seed weighing in excess of half a tonne.

 

BOOM.

When I land, I wince at the sight of a now very, VERY dead wyvern smeared across the grass; a deep crater filled with blood and shattered bones.

Dana alights beside me, casting a little healing spell to top my HP up, grinning from ear to ear. I shoot her a warning look. She leans in, and purrs, “That wyvern seemed fairly reasonable. In fact, you could even say it was… DOWN TO EARTH!”