Chapter 180: The Crimson Briar Patch (8)

“She is not going to take three days…”

“What?”

Of course, Reidar already knew what he had to do. Three days were needed on foot because of the terrain, the distance, and the monsters, but if he could get rid of two of them, the travel time would be significantly reduced.

He pulled up his skill interface, scrolling to Summon Feral Pack. 51% proficiency. He’d reached a threshold where he could share it.

“You can get her there faster,” he said.

The others turned toward him.

“How?” Seraphine asked.

Reidar didn’t say it; his eyes moved to Jake. The young man never left Lena’s side.

“I’ve got enough proficiency.”

Jake nodded, since he already understood what Reidar had in mind.

“I’m sharing Summon Feral Pack with you. Flood the sky.”

He nodded again. A swarm was needed to protect Jake, Lena, and Seraphine from the aerial monsters.

Jake didn’t wait. He immediately used augmentation on the skill he had just received from Reidar so that it would summon thousands of creatures.

The air above the clearing thickened with the beating of thousands of wings. One by one, then in a rushing torrent, massive crows materialized from mana, each the size of a rhino. They rose into the sky to leave space for the others coming. Their caws created a deafening chorus that drowned the forest in a symphony so eerie that even the monsters started to piss themselves.

The sudden, overwhelming eruption of thousands of rhino-sized crows choked the air itself. It was a show so immense few people were able not to be scared by what they were seeing. Silence was the only consequence of it.

Every survivor froze mid-motion, their squabbles forgotten in the face of this impossible summoning. It was on a scale that dwarfed even Reidar’s first show of strength.

Helga’s scowl vanished, her jaw going slack as she stared at the darkening sky; the usual contempt in her eyes got replaced by shock.

Aldric stumbled back a full pace, the gleaming point of his spear dipping toward the earth as his jaw went slack. His gaze, usually so knowing, was now utterly vacant, fixed upon the impossible legion of crows that blotted out the sun. For the first time, there was something even he didn’t know.

Even Seraphine, the unflappable White Death, lost her composure. She stood without moving, her head tilted back, the forest forgotten as a look of pure wonder washed over her face, erasing all trace of the huntress’s usual sharp look.

Then she understood. Reidar wasn’t the only monster there.

They had seen the man’s power until now, but not Jake’s. The kid could use it in a more subtle way than his older companion, but it wasn’t by any means weaker. This was a demonstration of power of scale they couldn’t comprehend, and with Lena’s own trait, it meant they were an army, a beast, and a lighthouse. Jake, the beast, stood beside Reidar, the army, watching Lena, the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was meant to guide them and focus their destructive power, so if Lena died, what would happen to all this raw power? To whom would this be unleashed?

The crows lowered themselves, allowing their summoners to climb onto their backs. Jake carefully positioned himself on one bird while maintaining his hold on Lena. It was awkward but manageable. The crow beneath him adjusted, compensating for the double weight.

Seraphine shook off her stunned paralysis, and she vaulted onto the back of a second massive crow. The bird shifted its weight to accommodate her, its feathers rustling. She settled into a low crouch, her fingers instinctively checking the familiar weight of her bow slung securely across her shoulders. The last thing she wanted was to be without her weapon.

“I’ll take five of my fighters,” Seraphine said. “Enough to handle ground threats if we’re forced down. The rest stay with the raid.”

Reidar looked at Jake.

“There is no need. Jake will be able to handle everything on his own; you just make sure she gets to this healer.”

She nodded.

“Good.”

“Wait,” Aldric said. He took several vials from his inventory. “Stamina potions. Mana regeneration elixirs. Take them,” he said to Jake. “You’ll need energy.”

Contrary to Helga, he knew when and what he had to do. Jake accepted the vials, storing them in his inventory.

Reidar knelt beside Lena again. Her eyes were closed, her breathing barely perceptible. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hang on. Help is coming.”

She didn’t respond. Maybe she couldn’t hear him anymore.

He stood and looked at Seraphine. “Keep her alive.”

“I will.”

Reidar turned to Jake. “Once you’re airborne, be careful. We don’t know much about flying monsters, and a flock like this will be easy to spot. Don’t stop regardless of what happens. If you find serious resistance, land and fight on the ground. Don’t risk aerial combat if it’s not favorable.”

“Agreed,” Seraphine said. To which Jake could only respond with a nod.

The crows began to flap their wings, lifting off the ground. Within seconds, the three were in the sky, rising above the clearing and into the darkening sky.

Reidar met Jake’s determined gaze. “Get her there. Don’t stop for anything.”

The boy gave a sharp nod. With a mental command, the flock surged upward. The sky filled with dark shapes, a protective escort forming around the three riders.

“Follow me,” Seraphine said. They quickly became specks against the horizon, the sound of the flapping wings fading into the silence of the Briar Patch.

Helga’s expression remained that of utter shock. “You’re splitting the group!”

Then Reidar stood, his form radiating a palpable aura of controlled fury. Around him, ten spectral knights materialized.

Five massive panthers appeared in a similar way behind him. Then came the true deluge; hundreds more spectral knights and skeletal warriors emerged, their numbers swelling until they formed an army that surrounded the survivors, who realized they had lost all the skills Reidar shared with them.

“You are getting on my nerves, Helga.” Reidar’s voice dropped to a dangerously cold and low tone. He let the silence hang for a long moment, the only sound being the faint crackle of the Skeletal Warriors’ bones shifting. “If you say just another word, I will make sure it will be your last.”

Reidar’s emotions affected his mana, and since that was a lot, it also affected the surrounding one. The mana in the air started rippling, which was something everyone could feel at that point.

He turned to the others. “Is there anyone else who has complaints?”

No one wanted to fight level 120 murder machines, especially if they had the form of bears.

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