Ever since the incident with the flame salamander, I've discovered that the ore slime on my back likes to mimic what I do at times. This has both been great, and kind of troublesome. I tried using turtle launcher, and it tried using turtle launcher...

... that almost ended up being a disaster.

Thankfully, crisis averted, and I managed to stop both of our departures.

Still, it's a bit hectic trying to get the ore slime to do what I say, but I've managed to teach it key terms to follow when I suggest them telepathically.

I've taught him to swing using the word: BONK

To hang on during turtle launcher by announcing: LAUNCH!

Yeah, it wasn't great progress but I did spend a whole day doing this, so I didn't get far, sadly.

Anyway, the next day I began traveling through the forest, the normal way. Cannonballing myself throughout the forest is fun, but not a smart way to survey an area. Or, just enjoy it for that manner. Leveling has slightly increased my speed, so I'll either rip through trees like wet paper, or waddle like a duck.

I wasn't bothered that much thankfully, as most creatures that ran into me seemingly ignored me. I even ran into a few gladius lupins, which inspected me, but eventually left me alone. Makes sense. Gladius lupins, or sword thieves, are a monster with a peculiar taste, seeking out prey that's worth fighting, and things with a sword worth taking.

I guess I don't fulfill either condition, so that makes sense to me. More often than not, they prefer more active prey, such as adventurers and monsters like orcs and boars, generally more energetic monsters.

I'm a turtle.

So far, lord Anubis' choice to make me a turtle so far has proven fruitful, given most monsters don't bother me, since I don't seem worth hunting, in spite of the weird ore slime I have on my back. Perhaps it serves as a deterrent, making me weirder than other moss turtles, so that wouldn't surprise me. Either way, I'm still having a rather relaxing life so far. Hopefully evolution won't change that.

I found a rather nice meadow filled with horn rabbits, which I don't hunt, as I don't feel like an active hunter. Even as a noble, I preferred not to pick a fight. As a result, I was often categorized as part of the neutral faction, but that wasn't really correct. I just didn't have any ambition, and thus held no interest in choosing a side. Afterall, my land wasn't particularly amazing or anything, it was just larger than most people of a similar rank. Without anything to offer really, why bother throwing in with a side that wouldn't really offer anything I want, but only create more enemies.

Then again, considering my cousin's attempt to take my position was so smooth, I wonder if one of the factions had a part to play in my assassination. Perhaps I had something worthwhile to them. Well, I hardly care now. I'm dead, and in no position to avenge myself.

I'll have to remain content knowing that my mansion self-destructing in the middle of the royal capital will cause trouble.

As I find myself musing over this, I also find myself suddenly feeling hanging in the air, as the ground quickly becomes smaller and smaller as I soar upwards. Looking up, I find the answer lifting me as I'm in fact being carried up by some sort of avian beast. I quickly use appraisal to see, and I find:

Race: gust raptor

Level: 4

Seeing that, I immediately use vine lash to bind myself to the raptor, earning me a squawk, as the beast attempts to shake me off, but I certainly won't let it.

I do in fact know what gust raptors are, because just like fire salamanders, gust raptors are considered lower-level monsters, and are in fact considered base level monsters, much like goblins and slime.

Gust raptors are known for one thing, and that's ambushes. Frankly, gust raptors aren't dangerous to people, as they only hunt smaller monsters, something connected to their way of hunting.

This only becomes a real problem once they start targeting cats, dogs, chickens... babies. Once that happens, they go to the high priority list. They're already on the adventurer's board as starter monsters for rouges and archers, however I did occasionally receive high priority requests to hunt down gust raptors, so while I've never seen one, their names I remember quite vividly.

So how do they prefer to hunt? They drop it, raptor style. There's a reason that gust raptors could receive plenty of hatred at times. The scenes can be quite gruesome.

Using their wind magic they amplify their flight speed, flying so fact that their prey cannot retaliate before they promptly drop their prey to the ground.

I guess since I'm a turtle with an ore slime on top, that it's taking extra effort to drop me, and that's it's mistake. It's taken to long for it to drop me, and that was enough time for me to secure myself.

I know what it's trying to do, and I refuse to let it do so.

There is a simple reason gust raptors are considered so low, and that is because of its hunting method, it's rather exposed during a hunt. It specializes in speed amplification via wind manipulation, focused on its wings.

Which it's using currently.

In other words, it's unable to do anything currently, besides peck at me, as it's currently doing so.

Guess who isn't that busy? Yes, this very free turtle is free to kill this silly raptor.

What ensues is a back-and-forth, with me constantly pummeling the raptor with my vines, as the ore slime follows suit, while the raptor helplessly tries to peck at my vines, or peck at my head, or even the ore slime.

I make sure it remembers it has something else to do with a good smack or two.

And eventually the gust raptor loses consciousness after repeated bludgeoning. It doesn't die, as the system hasn't given me a notification.

Great.

Not so great as the gust raptor falters and begins to fall, and I panic, wondering what I should do as the land begins to greet me.