Mountain Pass Crossing: Support

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The ears of beastkin were good at picking up sounds.

And so being hit by the harpy queen’s shockwaves were even worse. And while I managed to stand up amidst the chaos, my eyes and head hurt like hell.
As I held my head and swayed on my feet, I saw Ajifu as he jumped out from the fortress of wagons.

“Hey!”

I shouted, but he did not stop. I had told him not to jump out. He was not good at listening, eh?
To be honest, it would if he distracted the queen. However, he would be the only target.
And Lodoz said to me,

“Gunat, listen. I will go and support Ajifu. There will surely be a moment when the queen’s movements will stop. Tell the sorcerer that he must launch Fire Javelin at it when the time comes.”

And then he too jumped out. Was everyone going rogue now? But now that I thought about it, I had probably said something similar to Ajifu, about stopping the queen’s movements.

I grabbed the magicians from Northwind Peak and the Rodon Guards, and pointed to the harpy queen.

“Target the queen! When I give the signal, start chanting. And launch the Fire Javelins together!”

Just then, I saw the queen stop in mid-air and beat her wings. While it was a good opportunity, they wouldn’t make it in time if they started chanting now.
I then saw Lodoz being hit by some attack. It was wind cutter!

But even after being hit, Lodoz did not fall. He was a reliable leader, after all. Upon seeing this, the queen started to prepare her next attack. That was the moment we were waiting for.

“Start chanting!”

The three chanted.
Hmm? Three? I turned around and saw that Leliane was chanting as well. But her MP recovery…
However, the queen was ready to attack. There was no time to talk.
She had stopped and spread out her wings. Now!

“Fire!!”
“Fire Javelin!”
“Darkball!”
“Earth Arrow!”

The completed magic shot towards the queen. But the queen was distracted by the other two, and did not seem to even notice as she unleashed the second attack of wind cutter.
Fire Javelin was the first to pierce her. The queen let out a cry of pain. And then Darkball and Earth Arrow followed.

After being hit directly by the three spells, the queen plummeted to the ground. It had to be now.

“Now! Charge!”

I shouted, and we jumped over the wagons towards the queen. However, as if to stop us, the harpies began to shoot towards us from above.
Their assault was not like it had been before, where they would attack once and then retreat. They would ram their entire bodies and stay down, blocking the Adventurers who charged towards the queen.

“Gaha!”

As I had been leading the charge, I got caught in the crash and was knocked off of my feet.
What was I supposed to do with two daggers and a bow with no arrows? In the first place, a party scout should not be leading a charge.
Damn it! I could not judge anyone else.

I fell and started to get back up, when a harpy attacked me. Stay away!

As the talons approached, Jirot came in from the side and blocked them with his spear. I managed to get up to my feet and then slashed the harpy’s wings with my dagger.

“Keeeee…!”

The harpy screeched, and then Jirot finished it off with a thrust into its chest.

“You saved me.”

“That’s not like you.”

Jirot muttered as he pulled back his spear and headed towards the other harpies. I know that!

“You fool. Lu-mes-lotto-rim Dark Heal!”

“Leliane! Thank you, but aren’t you low on MP? You even fired a Darkball!”

“I drank an MP potion. I’m still fine.”

That expensive potion… But things are desperate now.

“The number of wounded will increase from here. Please focus on healing.”

“I know.”

Leliane said, as she too headed towards the clash of harpies and Adventurers.

I had to return to the fight, but the frontlines of a battlefield was no place for a scout. And so I retreated once and spoke to the magician who was using fire magic.

“Hey, can you shoot any more javelins?”

“I can use one more, but then I won’t be able to use any other magic.”

“That’s fine. Ignore the smallfry. Just target the queen.”

“I can’t! There are too many of them flying up ahead. It would not reach her!”

Lodoz and Ajifu should be fighting the queen now. I would ensure that the attack reached them. I decided, and then said to the magician,

“I will open a path. And once I do, fire. I’m counting on you.”

“Ve-very well.”

Persuaded by my resolve, the magician nodded his head. Good. Now I just had to open a path.
I turned on my heels and headed towards the crack in the wagons.

That being said, if I just charged like this, I would get in the way.

Swoosh.
“Guke!”

As a harpy charged, I threw a stone at its face.

“Hya!”
“Kuee!”

I threw a knife at another harpy who was attacking an Adventurer.

“Hah!”
“Kueeee!”

As the harpy fell to the ground, I finished it off.

So I didn’t get in their way, I supported the others from the side and back. Even then, I could not support everyone.
From the gaps between the wings of the harpies, I caught glimpses of the queen as she fought Lodoz and Ajifu. And I made my way towards them.

Once I was near the front in her direction, I saw Jirot, who swung his spear like a madman against three harpies. His head, arms and legs were bleeding as he desperately blocked their attacks.
It was such a wild battle that Leliane could not get close enough to heal him.

I used my last knife to stab one of the harpies in the shoulder, but they were just as desperate. And the attacks continued as if nothing had happened.
And I had nothing left to throw.

Ah, damn it. Jirot was right. This is not like me at all.

“Hyaaaaaaaa!!”

I swung my dagger as I leapt through the air towards one harpy’s leg.
It stabbed into it, but the blade was too short. The talons flashed and then dug into me, piercing through my armor and into my flesh.

“Kueeee!”

Still, I clung on and took the harpy down with me as I crumbled to the ground. Then the talons of another harpy came down on me. Ah, I was finished.

“Yaaahhh!!”

Just as I had given up, I heard a young voice, that had no business being on the battlefield. I saw red hair, and then a spear was thrusted at the harpy.

Is that Naros!? How reckless!

I wasn’t the only one who was taken by surprise. So was the harpy. The spear caught it in the stomach, and both it and Naros fell.

Behind them, I saw Jirot thrust his spear into the last one.
Three harpies had been taken down at once, and I could see the gray sky through the space that had been made in the battlefield.

“Fire!!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs. However, this space had to be maintained until the chanting was completed.
And so I moved to keep the writhing harpies on the ground. There was no time to look up.

Still, as the harpy thrashed under me, I saw something bright shoot over my head. The light reflected in the harpy’s eyes.

Please. Reach them!!

Next Chapter

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Bonus chapter courtesty of a kindly supporter. Thank you so much!

Ossan Boukensha no Jimichi na Isekai Tabi