Jasenki had managed to get a head start on Ezra by choosing to set off early and climb the steeper and more barren side of the mountain, but his advantage meant nothing now. The griffin had escaped with minor injuries while Jasenki lay unconscious with little hope of resuming the hunt anytime soon. Meanwhile, Ezra had taken a safer route cutting through the woods, and managed to avoid fighting the griffin. However, he was now approaching the griffin’s hunting territory. The long journey had brought Ezra out of the woods, and now he was ascending a winding trail littered with animal bones, tattered blood-soaked clothes, and rusty weapons. “It looks like our flying friend has been using this place to dispose of the leftovers after its lavish meals,” Marlin remarked as he scanned the path ahead with his cursed eye. Ezra’s horse started neighing and shaking its head as he continued ascending the trail. He tried to spur it forward, but the beast refused to move. Instead of trekking up
When Ezra had embarked upon this hunt, he had made all the preparations necessary to confront a griffin. But he wasn’t expecting something like this. Even Aurelia hadn’t told him the Southern Fork-tailed Griffin had access to a magic ability. Ezra was completely cornered by the dust storm, and his magic power kept dropping steadily till it finally hit zero. [Magic power completely drained!] [Current magic power: 0%] With all his magic power drained within seconds, Ezra could no longer shoot enchanted bullets from his gun, and the longer he stayed in the middle of this storm, the more fatigued he would feel. A Gunner without magic power was just a normal human, and despite Ezra’s skill with the gun, he knew he had no chance of killing the griffin with normal bullets. “The winds are getting too unruly. We can’t stay here much longer,” Marlin said to Ezra. Even though he was a mere parasite, the magic drain was affecting him too, causing him tremendous pain. “Get us out of here!”
Inside a small hunting cabin deep within the Zakashi Woods, Glenn Azarenki closed his eyes while sitting inside a pentagram painted with his own blood. In front of him was an earthen bowl surrounded by red candles. The scroll Glenn had given Ezra before parting ways contained a third-tier blood curse that could be used to drain low-level enemies. By unleashing the curse, Ezra had bound the griffin hatchlings to the blood mage. Now Glenn could feed on their blood as long as they were alive, and they could neither fly away nor hide. As Glenn’s bowl filled with griffin blood, he smiled and thanked Ezra. Griffins were rare and powerful hybrids, and drinking their blood would not only restore his youth but augment his powers as well. “You have been very kind to me, Lord Ezra. I promise I shall repay the favor someday,” he vowed, crossing his heart before drinking the tangy red liquid pooled inside the bowl. As the griffin blood coursed through Glenn’s veins, his skin turned clearer and
Cecilia stood there like a statue as all eyes stared at her, expecting her to keep her promise. Her eyes welled with tears as she turned to Ezra, hoping to find some compassion. But Ezra simply smiled at her and gestured toward his horse. “What is going on? Ezra?” Lord Sebastian tried to intervene, but Aurelia pulled him back, grabbing his hand. “A lot has transpired in your absence. The Rodels started this, so it is only fair they pay for what their choices. I will explain everything later.” Even the commoners gathered at the festival ground flocked to the tents in the middle to watch what was happening. Unable to bear the humiliation anymore, Cecilia lashed out at Ezra. “I won’t do such a degrading thing. I am Lady Cecilia Rodel from Stonewell City. My father owns—” “Your father is not here, dear lady. And a woman who breaks her promise is despised by everyone,” Ezra replied. “I won fair and square and now I am here to claim my prize. Don’t keep the people waiting. The sun’s abo
Even though they were in their own house, Aurelia was wary of curious ears. A single twisted truth could spark a wildfire and burn down the foundations of their family, so she had to be certain no one would catch wind of their conversation. Aurelia locked the door of her room and drew the curtains before accessing her inventory and pulling out a corrupted crystal from inside. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. “A corrupted crystal,” Ezra replied. “It looks similar to the one I saw inside the training dungeon.” “You are correct. It’s a corrupted crystal that can link one low-level training dungeon to another dungeon, typically a dark dungeon or a monster nest,” Aurelia replied, placing the crystal on the table. “These things aren’t easily available. Only dark mages and black-market vendors keep these in their inventory. And they do not come cheap.” Ezra listened with close attention and his thoughts immediately went back to the Stirge invasion. “Where did you find this one?” he
The following morning, Lord Sebastian requested the elders to meet at Dragon Claw clan’s council hall to discuss two important issues which needed their immediate attention. Red dragon banners hung from the walls of the room, and the ceiling was graced by a chandelier carved from the skull of an ancient Dragon Lord felled by the first Ace Gunners, two hundred years ago. Lord Cornelius was seated on the left, and facing him on the opposite end was Flavius Lazel, the elven archer who had managed to awaken his magic talent after communing with Vishulia, the Goddess of the Forest. Even though Flavius had risen to the rank of an Elder in Dragon Claw, many still doubted his potential, and a few raised questions about his allegiance as well. However, Flavius always chose to answer with his longbow and dual Pit Viper revolvers. He was one of those calm and silent types, but when provoked he always knew how to respond with actions instead of words. The last Elder on the council was Abigor
The three Elders accompanied Lord Sebastian and Ezra to the clan’s training arena. It was a raised circular platform, floating ten feet off the ground. Around it were three rows of seats for the spectators. All duels and shooting initiations used to take place in this arena. However, since it was Dragon Claw’s private arena, only members of the clan were allowed to watch the duels. Ezra could still remember the humiliating words and laughing faces from his last training session, and he was glad that the townsfolk weren’t there to watch him today. Even though he had come a long way since then, and his arms no longer trembled, just the thought of being ridiculed by the commoners made him uneasy. Lord Sebastian was led to the high chair in the third ascending ring of seats to watch the training from the best spot while Flavius and Abigor took their seats beside him. Since Lord Cornelius was in charge of conducting the test, he accompanied Ezra to the floating platform. But just as h
Ezra fired a few shots around him at random, hoping to hit something, but his aim was way off. The power crystals were floating so far away that he had no hope of even scoring a single hit. Lord Cornelius watched with satisfaction as Ezra desperately struggled to hit anything. All his magic bullets kept flashing into nothingness as they hit nothing but air. “That is enough! There is no way even a Veteran Gunner can hit these targets while blindfolded!” Lord Sebastian exclaimed, rising from his chair. “Lord Cornelius, you are doing this on purpose just to fail my son.” Hearing Lord Sebastian’s furious outburst only made Lord Cornelius happier. Instead of getting into an argument with the Prime Patriarch, he calmly replied, “Your son has already cleared the first two stages with perfect points. I am only trying to test his mettle. Besides, he only needs to hit half the targets. That should not be too difficult for an E-level magic user.” “You are being partial toward him and intent