Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Seiko and Oaklee moved swiftly, able to get to a cluster of trees that offered protection and a place to hide. Getting caught in the open would be less than ideal. While Seiko scouted, Oaklee started to channel a spell. She chanted with her eyes closed and as she did, the ground around her began to turn black and bubble. The tar-like substance churned, bending to her will. Slowly, yellowed bony fingers began to claw their way through the surface of the black ichor. Over the course of a minute, 12 skeletons emerged, lining up in front of their master. Oaklee issued commands to her troupe, telling them to fan out and form a perimeter. The skeletons would act as alarms if anyone got near. As far as she could tell, they had been transported to a forest region outside Gebrochen. The wide open space and wooded terrain gave players room to spread out and play to their strengths. Rangers like Seiko had the ability to scout effectively because of the tall trees. Seiko monkeyed up the branches of a nearby pine to get a lay of the land. Almost immediately, he spotted a large skirmish to the west. About 20 players were locked in a death battle.

His enhanced vision allowed him to see that many adventurers were being struck down by a lancer. Up on his white steed, he plowed through the battle, mowing his opponents down. His lance was stained red. Seiko scanned the rest of the area, there were smaller bursts of fighting throughout the landscape. There were likely more players doing the same as him as well, lying low.

"Any sight on Hendricks and Marquis?" Oaklee asked. He didn't see them in the big skirmish but that made sense, they would likely avoid confrontation.

"Better get to work in the meantime."

Seiko pulled his bow off his back and lined up his first target

A female fighter hit the ground hard, impacted from an unseen source. The mage that was fighting her shrieked and jumped back in fright, seeing the hole in the fighter's chest. He looked around frantically for the cause only to be struck by a golden arrow that ripped his arm from his body. Seiko inhaled deeply, rotating on the tree branch to find new targets. At this range, the lower level players didn't stand a chance. He picked off another, one arrow taking the leg out from under a druid then another finishing the job.

Suddenly, a bolt of energy slammed into the trunk of the tree. The force of the explosion almost knocking him off his perch. Seiko repositioned quickly. He looked to return fire on his attacker.

"You ok up there?!" Oaklee called.

He didn't reply. He needed to focus. He pushed his vision to the max, scanning the tree line in the direction the blast came from. It took a second but...

There! Standing atop another tall tree, a figure stared back at him. They were dressed in knight's gear. It was hard to tell their gender at this distance.

Oh great. Players that chose knight as their job were referred to as 'try-hards'. It was the perfectly optimized and balanced class with both close and long range capabilities. Seiko loathed knights. The armored figure raised his hand over his head, producing a spear that crackled with blue lightning. The knight reared back and then launched the projectile toward Seiko. The ranger had little time to react. He could jump down but then he'd lose his snipers nest. Seiko inhaled sharply, raising his bow. He released his shot in one fluid motion as he exhaled. His golden arrow blasted forward and collided with the lightning spear. The arrow split it's shaft down the middle and continued on its trajectory. The Knight was blasted from the top of his tree as the arrow took his head. Seiko hollered in excitement.

"You see that?!" he shouted down to Oaklee. She smiled and gave him a little golf clap.

At that moment, she sensed one of her skeletons was destroyed behind them and pivoted towards the dense part of the forest where her minion was to assess the threat, her hands wreathed in unholy black flame. A dark figure emerged from the brush, heading in their direction. Oaklee was about to light the intruder up with a magic bolt to the face but stopped mid cast. She recognized the robin hood-esque hat and green waist-coat they wore.