Above the melee, the many-eyed monster known as a shining farseeker rained Glintbeams down on any they could see, though one target was of highway priority. Gorras, the former mortal who had willingly, joyfully accepted the blessings of the true god of this world, was here with one purpose. Capture Daniel Brant, and leave no witnesses.

They'd been informed of the means of the Artificer and those he traveled with beforehand, though unfortunately the Protector had no recent knowledge of the majority of the team. Likewise, the involvement of four foreign hunters had been a surprise. Still, the six faithful of the Old Ones remained confident in their success. Even in their new forms, nothing could change the fact that they were the true masters of the sky.

Indeed, the strongest avianoid had been taken out by their mortal power alone, the level 2 ability enhanced by the perfect form granted to them. Sharash's talents then threw their targets' movements into chaos, losing cohesion in the heavy cloud cover of their chosen battlefield. But they tracked them perfectly, allowing their allies the same convenience. Communion hadn't cost them much, and that included the bond all six shared.

Six agents of the true gods, bonded and molded into a perfect fighting force for the new age. Others could have been chosen for this role, stronger chosen of the Old One, but their teamwork would be necessary to contest those that had a history of defeating individual threats greater than themselves.

Then… then things began to turn. Astirus, one of their weakest due to only having a handful of mortal powers awakened before the shift, had nearly assured the death of one before their target intervened. They'd expected him to be the strongest given what he possessed, but even then Torust should have been able to pin him down long enough for a volley of Glintbeams to ravage.

He'd broken free, combining that morphic power with something the Druid couldn't explain, other than that it was strong evidence of a bond. They'd come away wounded, Astirus nearly dead with no significant progress made against an enemy that possessed both a healer and healing potions.

The six, and the Protector remotely monitoring them, came to a quick decision. Sharash needed to directly engage the Artificer, and activate the boon the Protector had given them. This would disable the Bardic effect protecting them from harm and put it on cooldown, but they couldn't allow the wind to change. They couldn't fail the one who had given them a brighter future.

…

Perhaps the greatest benefit of Daniel and Hunter's bond was one they'd acquired before oaths or resurrections. Might and Magic would always hold a special place in Daniel's heart, but the Empathic Link held the greatest potential. Working in perfect harmony alongside Tak, they had destroyed what had been considered a top-tier level 3 monster before the Collapse redefined the scale. Effective coordination often decided conflicts so long as one side was not truly overwhelming, and it was for that reason Wingcraft had started on the back foot.

The counterattack started as Daniel and Hunter flew toward the cerulean sunburst in the center of the cloudy skies from opposite sides of the conflict, the two increasing their Empathic Link to moderate intensity. With the focus battle granted they were able to tolerate the wash of each other's mind assaulting them, though they'd need to fight together for a time before they could truly sync up.

Daniel saw through his friend's memories like he'd drunk from a cup skimmed over the surface of a deep pond. The main opponent he'd been fighting was the Ranger/Nettlewing hybrid, a nasty thing that vaguely looked like a gryphon, except for the fact that its wings were covered in mottled green scales that manifested a storm of poisoned needles. Hunter had been forced to fight defensively, both due to his discomfort in the air and to avoid absorbing too much of a dose. Daniel had taken over the poison now through Blood Union, and when they reached the high intensity it could be effortlessly juggled to minimize its threat to them.

The rest of their strategy was quickly pulled together while flying to the enemy. Daniel was already putting rounds toward the monster, which was doing its best to evade now that he'd countered its influence effect. The cerulean sunburst was quick, however, and could maneuver better in the air than either with their gear.

Surround and trap, Hunter thought, with Daniel quickly agreeing. If even one of them could get into melee range they could take the level 3. Both Reassure and the Empathic Link itself would provide resistance to anything the Bard inside tried to pull, though pure magic attacks like Songbolt or some hidden monster ability could pose a threat. Their experience, and Zolyra's general advice on unshielded blows from higher level creatures, gave them confidence this wouldn't turn out like the evolved wyvern.

Druid, Hunter warned as the two began circling the cerulean sunburst through the clouds, which provided it no cover.

I know. While the rest of the monsters were fighting to keep the team back, including the Martialist harpy somehow giving Gordon trouble, the double-headed monster was flying to even the odds. They wouldn't catch their prey before it joined the fight. Didn't show anything strong, but be careful.

The two continued to pin the Bard monster, dodging the sniper beams from above and taking what damage they couldn't avoid. Daniel had to stay in human form as while Hunter's armor was flexible enough to adjust with him, he couldn't keep up the chase in his true form.

It took half a minute before they managed to corner the infuriatingly nimble monster. Despite removing its direct presence from the rest of the fight, the Bardic effects it could use to buff its allies or stymie Wingcraft were still having a noticeable impact on the fight. No one had died yet, on either side, but things were getting closer to desperate than either liked.

When the time came, Daniel sheathed his blast bow and withdrew two elemental bone claws. One of fire, and one that was a very contorted frostfang charged with electricity. If all went well, this would be the first time he would rapidly stack Elemental Onslaught through melee. Hunter had still yet to catch up to the variety of his powers and was just looking forward ending the threat to his friends.

The two struck together, Hunter diving into Daniel for a brief moment to Flash Jaunt his body past the Druid attempting to screen for the Bard. As they traveled in unreality, Daniel heightened the Empathic Link and cast Moment of Clarity. The outside world was a blank canvas returning nothing to his senses, but his internal world doubled as the flood gates were opened.

They couldn't chance failing this mental union in the midst of combat, when a moment of disorientation could throw one or the other in mortal peril. Last time had been cleaner because they had been able to ramp up while hunting, gradually pushing aside parts of themselves that were incompatible while finding what could mesh.

This time was far more difficult, each exposed to the brunt of the other's identity with nothing to distract from it. In the war fought between the two souls, common ground was found in one resolution: protect.

Daniel and Hunter exited Flash Jaunt not as two fighting together, but one combined will bent on breaking the Bard before them. When the first claw raked into the sunset wings the monster screeched, unleashing some form of sonic attack made all the more painful due to its current form.

They didn't care. Hunter's bond with Tak worked for the body he occupied, and both had been in Daniel's. His ears were bleeding a little, but that was what Regeneration was for. The second claw fell and for a brief moment one side felt the blazing crescendo of Elemental Onslaught before the cycling link equalized it.

Hunter's perspective returned to his body before it got too far off track, leaving Daniel's to hold until he could catch up. With one of the cerulean sunburst's wings now harboring an unruly passenger there would be no more escaping the hunters.

Then the Druid caught up. Daniel's boots were activated to cloud the area in smoke, hoping to throw off the charging monster sensed through Hunter's perspective. The pair of hunters didn't need sight to find their enemy, and had the auras worst case.

What neither of them had expected was the Druid to find him regardless, appearing through the smoke with both jaws blazing green and opened wide. In almost an instant another Flash Jaunt was deferred, both of them needed to be in position and couldn't afford the delay.

Working more in parallel, edges of the Empathic Link beginning to fray, Daniel's arm blocked one of the bites with his Focus Shield while the other hand bore claws at the approached head. The enchanted frostfang claws skated off the iron beak of his enemy, allowing the attack to go through. The cerulean sunburst was still singing, its efforts apparently focused on improving the defenses of the Druid.

Where the sharp edges pierced his armor, they not only burned but paradoxically hemorrhaged out. The net result was a wound that was harder to heal and cold from blood loss despite the burns. The mental strain tested the link, and though Hunter immediately accepted the bleeding effect, enough of Daniel split off to realize, It's slipping.

No. Hunter appeared out of the smoke and tore the Druid off of Daniel, the Empathic Link re-establishing as if the ringcat had just caught his hand after he'd fallen off a cliff.

The feathers of the cerulean sunburst shimmered as its current song ended, Daniel finding it difficult to both cling on and fall deeper into the Empathic Link. They still remained connected, still unified, but the state of absolute oneness reached against the wyvern was distant now that they were each fighting a different opponent.

Continuing to work together, Daniel fed Recollective Strike into Might and Magic every time Hunter attacked. The somewhat costly barrage overwhelmed the enemy as even with two heads the Druid had trouble defending against the mirrored attacks. From where he had barely managed to claw into the cerulean sunburst, gaining more leverage than damage dealt, Daniel watched through both his and Hunter's perspective as the ringcat's jaws came down on one of the necks and pulled.

The creature in Hunter's grasp contorted rapidly, shifting into a creature larger than Hunter's true form with one massive tooth sticking out of one side. The thing looked like the tip of a giant's spear, though unfortunately for the Druid it had no leverage to use its weapon. Caught off guard by the weight Hunter fell with the boar for a moment. It saved him from another cluster of beams from above that had targeted his previous position, but he and Daniel saw the right play. Hunter let go, and the monster continued to plummet through the air. Either the Druid had a cooldown on his shifting power or not enough mana to use it again, but either way they were out of the fight like the lodestone ludegrund.

That just left the monster Bard. They were like Evalyn in some ways, ignoring the ridiculously overpowered Songbolt she'd shot in the ruins. Group buffs, some ways to protect itself, but when caught out by two of the team's strongest strikers working in tandem it was as good as dead. Or at least, it should have been. Something happened as Hunter began to fly back to rejoin the fight.

The Bard extended both wings as far as they would go and raised its head to look to where the source of the extremely annoying sniper beams was. After a furious inhalation, it let out a sharp cry containing the first intelligible word any of the monsters had spoken so far. "ZOZAR!"

For the first time, Daniel encountered a mana pulse so strong it physically impacted him, throwing him off the still slippery bird. He and Hunter looked at the tag with concern, fearing it had managed to evolve somehow, yet it remained the same.

Still, something powerful had been used. Mana was spilling out of the cerulean sunburst following the pulse, not creating another disruptive force but simply a strong enough flow to register on their mana senses. It wasn't a consistent emanation either, as the mana began to pool in nearby clouds. As they watched, the Bard dipped into a cloud which began to flow with its own will. Where the outer edges of the mists touched, its wounds began to heal. That wasn't all.

"Teleport!" Gordon called out, the Ranger's voice duplicating in the linked minds of the hunters. "The harpy's not hiding, it's gone." The two looked around and confirmed it. One by one, the auras of the enemy monsters were vanishing the moment they entered a cloud, the cerulean sunburst the last to depart.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Someone more hopeful would've put this as the monsters retreating, but Daniel and Hunter were already cynically positioning themselves back to back. Evalyn's order to form up by Sigron's shield came a moment later, the rest of the team minus Qess being close enough to do so. They'd been chasing the Bard for nearly a minute while the others…

In what was mostly a superfluous gesture, both Daniel and Hunter turned their heads to look each other in the eye as the same thought flared between them. Trap.

Red auras appeared around them, four in total though the last was one applied in the moment. Facing down the two were the cerulean sunburst, the poisonous griffin of a Ranger, the ephemeral harpy gripping modified swords in wing-hands, and one last monster to round out the second ambush of the day.

Gorras - (Shining Farseeker - (3), Arcanist - 2, ~Converted~)

The last was a bulbous creature emitting faint light in addition to the aura as it hovered at the edge of a cloud. Small eyes covered most of its body, with a central one fixed on Daniel. It remained only long enough to consolidate the light around it into beams that glinted briefly in multiple of the smaller eyes, before it fired at him and vanished the second afterward.

The nettlewing gryphon did likewise, throwing a hail of its poison projectiles, while the harpy charged. Remaining the furthest away was the Bard, almost smugly calling out in its twisted voice to focus its buffs on the harpy.

That one was strangest of all, a strong point to make when the floating bag of eyes was on the table. Its body was in constant flux, parts of it flickering in and out of reality. The obvious Astral connection explained why Gordon had had difficulty, but there was something else. It looked like an avianoid with their Grown Wings, with the only major difference being talons halfway up the wing that could somewhat grasp weapons. Were they looking at one of the precursor species used in the Grafting?

It was definitely coming to kill at least one of them. The enemy wasn't soft in their approach if the intent was to capture Daniel, though with Regeneration and complete unwillingness to cooperate with them he was a tough target to take alive.

"Stay out of the clouds," they said simultaneously to the rest of the team, the only warning they could get off before their focus had to be entirely on themselves. All of Daniel's training in the past couple of months merged with Hunter's instincts, allowing them to dance in the air filled with projectiles both physical and magical. It was like they were in a forest clearing at night, enemies firing arrows from the cover of darkness.

The Martialist harpy significantly worsened their prospects. Alone neither of them would've been worried, but it had a level 3 buffing it and several others waiting to capitalize whenever they became aggressive. In the meantime the two swords held in talon grip chained special attack abilities, heedless of the mana cost.

Every Flash Jaunt forced out further dwindled Hunter's mana supply, the pair vaguely began to regret Daniel's reluctance to put mana potion into a syringe. Worst yet, it seemed aware of the threat an Astral attack from Beast Mode posed and disengaged the one time they had tried that. All other attacks did do damage, but it was reverted whenever that portion of the body phased out.

Too much pressure, they eventually realized. Their Empathic Link was a strong advantage, but it was like it was meaningless against these enemies who could coordinate while not even being there. Every cloud around them was a potential threat vector, and the damn Bard was blinking around too quickly for any ranged weapon to hit. Both were injured to the point that they could have been permanently crippled were it not for Regeneration, and that was after Hunter had sacrificed some of his health to allow Daniel time for a healing potion.

But for the clouds around them…

A memory flashed between the two, originating on Daniel's side and flowing swiftly through the cycling link. It was from the first time he'd hunted in the sky. The two minds' eyes saw a cloud disintegrating from the effects of an iridescent whitespring's breath attack. Weak material overloaded with so much mana it self-destructed, not unlike Rikoor save for its intensity.

They had no means like that available to them, not entirely, but there was a way. Enchanting. Against normal clouds it was a toothless weapon, but there was magic running through the clouds. The result of an ability, yes, but to the combined senses it felt more like the small amount of elemental essence Gordon had shown them when asked about the subject. As if the father of all cloudborne scions had carved pieces of itself off and scattered them about for the enemy team to use as both portals and medics.

Desperately, the two continued to dive further into the Empathic Link, even allowing their bodies to defend themselves as best they could on instinct alone while the two concentrated on mana alone. That was all enchanting was, mana manipulation. If Daniel was right about how domains worked , everything was mana. At least in this world. And as he'd recently discovered, he only needed to perceive what he wanted to enchant, and form a mana connection between it.

As the vitality in Daniel's body was dwindling to the point where unconsciousness was an optimistic outcome, one mana connection formed and the magically-charged cloudstuff concealing the shining farseeker accepted the tether without complaint. It didn't matter what they wanted to enchant in that moment because once the initial cost was paid to ensnare all of it, the process was instantly canceled.

Surprised, the enemy monster attempted to reach for another cloud, but Daniel and Hunter were faster. The instincts and sensory processing capabilities of an apex predator combined with the skill of an Artificer as, one after the other, the enchanted clouds around them were evaporated. No, as the process continued it soon became two at once, a mana tether forming from each of the pair's bodies to double the speed at which they were denying the enemy their trump card.

Mana reached below 10% for both, as while the cost to unmake a cloud was relatively little given their density, they were clearing a lot of space around them. The distance didn't matter. So what if the process instantly failed a hundred meters out? That just saved them the mental strain of canceling the enchantment themselves. Within seconds, a large chunk of cloudy sky was made clear.

While the Druid did continue pressing them, they didn't just remove one of the monsters' advantages by destroying the clouds. They got rid of a lot of cover. A glowing Sun Arrow, wait. Two Sun Arrows trailing each other slammed into it as Khiat finally got a clear shot. One only dealt damage that would be quickly repaired, but to everyone's surprise part of the harpy's side was immolated completely and did not return.

She was the only one within bow range, though not the only one who took advantage of the sudden change. While the harpy performed a midair stumble, clutching at its side, someone the monsters had forgotten about appeared. They'd been so set on taking down the pair, flitting about between clouds, that they'd missed the Rogue.

Whether by luck or intent, the cerulean sunburst had been deposited near where she'd been hiding. It was a level 3, but whatever defensive ability it had used seemed to have timed out. And she was Shuni.

Like the Arcadian Warden before, she used a short burst of teleportation to appear on its back, wrapping one arm around the broad neck while using a frostfang dagger to stab the eyes out. The next step in the frenzy of attacks was for her other hand to drag her second dagger across the throat, then both began cutting into the neck rapidly.

The ferocity was met with mixed awe and approval from Daniel and Hunter, each contributing one of the emotions before they blended in the link like colors. The Bard was unfortunately too hardy for the surprise attack to slay, despite Shuni leaving its stubby neck a mess of bleeding, half-frozen flesh. The gryphon and eye… thing rotated their attacks to her even as the cerulean sunburst attempted to peck Shuni to death.

The Rogue was forced to retreat under the renewed assault. Still, she'd accomplished two things. Daniel and Hunter had been bought time to take healing potions, and the neck of the enemy Bard was choked with blood. It'd stopped all song the moment she'd struck. That wasn't considering her blinding it.

With those three upsets to the enemy's plan, their morale broke. The harpy was already diving and the others followed suit. They wanted to give chase, but the shining farseeker appeared able to shoot on the move. Injuries abounded on their end, and even after the potion Daniel's body wasn't fully back to 100%. One of the hands had caught a glintbeam and the stumped of fingers were still regrowing.

Evalyn's voice on the sending stone, the Bard herself nearly there, confirmed things. They were regrouping. There were Khiat's parents and the refugees to consider. The battle was over, unless the monsters decided to try and come back for round 2.

At the end of the battle the two now in the depths of the Empathic Link once more considered suppressing it. They would have surely died without the ability to see and move for each other without needing to coordinate. The rest of their bond turned the already impressive advantage into something else entirely. But…

Shuni. That was the thing that broke it this time. Also Daniel's perspective really not wanting Tak to break the link like he had last time, though to a lesser extent. She touched on one of the divides between them. Not a disagreement per se, Hunter had no jealousy or concerns over the Rogue. Still, it seeded enough discord to unbalance the cycling link until it bucked the two apart.

Alone in soul again and with tattered, mending wings, Daniel unsteadily flew toward the gray avianoid. There was concern in her eyes that faded as she saw he wasn't struggling to breath. "Sorry it took me so long. Couldn't pin one down until the end."

"You were right on time." Daniel smiled, glad she was alright after her near miss. At the same time there was anger within him, an after effect of the deep Empathic Link. They, those monsters, traitors of mortal kind, had almost killed her. And he'd withheld a killing blow.

No. Daniel's true self pushed back, overriding the predatory impulses from Hunter and acknowledging another divide that could imperil an active link. The ludegrund, in the only way it could, had been calling out for mercy. Deserved or not… I have killed people, but I'm not a killer. If there is another way, I'll take it.

"You ok?" Shuni asked, seeing his smile fall. "I've got a potion if you're out."

He shook his head. His body was hurting, the hand especially, but the team wasn't rich enough to use healing potions for pain relief when Regeneration would fix him. Daniel thought once more on Shuni, suspended in air, desperately trying to get out of the enemy's entrapment, and felt something else within him.

"Hey, when we get back, we should talk. Not about the battle," Daniel quickly clarified. "And it's not bad. I just, I have something I want to say." Hunter's directness was urging him to now but it was definitely not the time.

One of Shuni's daggers almost slipped out of her hands when he said that. She regarded him with many things. Anticipation, hope, a bit of fear and uncertainty. She tried to play it off with coyness but some of the hidden nerves made it through. "I'll see if it's worth the wait, then. Might have something to say myself."

Now they were both nervous. Daniel hoped that was normal. Doing this right after a life and death battle was already out there, but what today had shown him was that there were no guarantees in life or Tounaki to bail them out of trouble.

Rather than awkwardly float next to each other while everyone stared, the two joined the other hunters now within a blank spot of the cloudy landscape. Marky looked halfway to either spontaneously acquiring the Berserker class or a heart attack, perhaps both, and he hadn't escaped unscathed. None of them had, and it was only the needs of the group that kept the Druid stable as he tended to wounds. One thing in particular attracted his rage.

Not Hunter, thankfully. Daniel opened his eyes in surprise as he saw what was levitating midair behind Qess, four limbs bound together in front of it with bolas. She caught both his and Marky's looks and addressed the less explosive of the two. "Figured I might as well make myself useful after getting knocked out of the fight."

"Wasn't it falling through the air?" Daniel asked incredulously. Thest reduced maximum fall speed, of course, but the auras of the enemy monsters were already tens of kilometers away.

"And?" Qess asked challengingly, though in good humor. "Not the first time I trussed up something that thought speed would save it."

Upside down, the faintly boar-like monster opened its mouth as far as the band tied around it would allow. "They will come for me." That brought everyone to a pause. Yes, Hunter had told them there were likely full mortal souls in each of the monsters, and they'd all heard the Bard's cry, but it was still-

"Traitor. You faithless, bastard traitor!" Marky broke off from Taloran's scratched arm, holding his staff like he was about to cut the monster in half with it. "Why? You've given up everything to become this. You condemn everyone in this world. For what, power?" Marky turned to the rest of the group. "We need to kill it. It deserves not one more moment of life."

The other Druid spoke before anyone else could, and only now did Daniel hear the uncertainty in the words. Not that the speaker itself was uncertain, it was more like someone talking in an infrequently-used second language. The boar's first words explained everything. "I am gestalt. Or, I was." The tongue of the creature moved over the exposed brutal teeth, as if realizing it had either for the first time. "How have I betrayed? What was given to us by gods, save for separation. We desired…" the deep voice trailed off, and it closed its eyes. "Kill. Do not. Words will not change me."

Gordon began holding Marky back as most of Wingcraft shared a look. They needed to get moving. Qess had captured a valuable prisoner, but it came with a host of problems. Khare. If they were here and heard this, what would they do? The Origin Beast must be able to solve the archetype problem when it uses its domain. Rorshawd kept his voice at least.

Hunter gave him a meaningful look and at first Daniel thought he was brooding on the same topic. As it turned out, the fight had given them more than one, or two, things to discuss in the future. Now that it's safe, should we talk about it?

The monster Druid?

Hunter shook his head. What I did, at the end. Was that enchanting?

No, that was… Daniel paused midair as he played back bursting the clouds in his head. The memories were slightly foreign, tinged by Hunter's presence. He hadn't picked up on what's happened after coming out of it because his thoughts had gone to Shuni, but he saw it now.

Two mana connections moving about the air destroying clouds. Not one, and nothing in his class or their bond could account for the discrepancy. He certainly couldn't enchant two things at the same time, it was theoretically impossible until he became adept enough to dual-channel Arcane Creator with itself. The second mana connection couldn't have been him.

There was only one conclusion he could reasonably draw, though it strained the limits of reason. How the hell had Hunter learned to enchant?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.