Under the Light of the World at War: Early Chapter 26

A/n Merry Christmas! Extra long chapter just for you!

“Umm… An arrow?” I responded as Mama looked at me shocked at the light show I had just put on.

“That is not what I meant, and you know it.” She argued as she walked over, seemingly checking on me, and then looking where the arrow had thunked against the tree. “That was… Well you almost had it.” She said and I nodded.

“Yeah I figured it out now.” With a breath I brought my bow up and with both hands focused the energy, the arrow forming in a flash and then I loosed.

It thunked into the trunk of the tree, and dug in a little before slowly fading away like it was just smoke.

“That… Was a lot better.”

“Yeah I figured it out. You have to use both hands to form the arrow, it’s not just one.” I explained, as I lowered the bow. “I guess… Well I won’t have any issues with arrows anymore!” I said, actually pretty happy about that.

Then Mama’s hand fell onto my head and ruffled my hair. 

“That’s apparently true… But you should still practice crafting arrows, you’ll find it a useful skill into the future.”

“Yeah that’s true.” I grumbled, admitting she was right. 

“And you… Just figured it out?” 

“Well I already had the Arcane Bolt Spell, so I just… Altered it.”

“You just altered it… A spell, you altered a spell?”

“Yeah… That’s a big part of what El’Tela has been… Well teaching isn’t quite right, but I’ve done it a bunch! It’s called Spell Refinement! It’s awesome.”

“Well it’s certainly impressive, Dorah. I didn’t realize you could do something that amazing. Good job.” Mama said, sounding enthused as she pulled me into a side hug. I just grinned, she had definitely faked that enthusiasm a bit, obviously trying to get over her surprise, but she had switched right into being supportive of me.

I really loved her.

“Thanks Mama… I should be able to keep practicing it as we travel! I’ll get it down right by the time we catch up to the deer!” I said confidently.

“You think so? Well in that case when we catch up to the deer you get the first shot.” She said a challenge and I grinned in delight nodding happily.

“Heh. You have your fathers ears.” Mama said grinning in delight, and I cocked my head. 

What did that mean!?

“Come on, let’s keep moving, you ready?”

“I am!” I said, I had rested enough! Now it was time to grind! Mama walked over, grabbed her gear and quickly re-equipped everything and then nodded and started jogging. I hurried after her, feet tearing into the forest loam, but my bow was in my hand.

As I ran I aimed, pulled back the bowstring, the arrow formed, but it missed the string, and soon I was fumbling it as it fell out.

Oops.

It faded away, but I nodded. Right, treat it like a real arrow. I needed the instincts.

I continued jogging and this time I steadied myself as best I could. I couldn’t slow my breath as I was jogging and I didn’t want to fall behind, but I could still use this time.

I drew the string back, forming the arrow, and worked to keep it on the string, then I loosed.

It went flying off to the side at a tree, but it missed landing further away.

More practice.

I drew back the string, the Arcane Arrow formed, and I loosed.

All the while as we jogged Mama was looking back to check on me, and I saw her smile widen the longer I practiced.

—---

We caught up to the deer herd, and yeah it was definitely a bit big. They’d either had a bit to good of a year, or it was a couple herds all connecting together, because that was a lot of deer. 

We’d caught them in a field, Mama and I were resting against the trees in the shade while looking over their numbers.

“That’s too many.” Mama whispered looking over the entire herd.

“Why are there so many?” I whispered my question as I looked over the field. Easily a hundred or more deer, way more than even the biggest herds.

“I don’t know.” Mama whispered back, sounding more concerned than she had before.

Something definitely weird was happening. 

We were both looking, but I noticed it first, only because I was on the right side of the tree we were hiding against and so I could see the right side of the herd better.

“Mama.” I whispered, pointing.

A wolf. Not anything unusual, just a wolf, slowly stalking through the grass.

“I see it. Look, the others.” She whispered, and only thanks to her pointing did I see them, a few more wolves following the trees, and another slowly inching in through the grass just like the first one.

“I don’t see anything weird.”

“No… It’s just wolves? But then why?” Mama whispered, and there was no obvious answer. She made no motion to do anything.

“Do we… Do something?”

“Not yet. Remember this Dorah, whenever possible in a situation that doesn’t seem right, always take your time before rushing in.”

“Yes Mama.” I said just as seriously, and decided to take her advice, I looked up and with a bit of effort started climbing.

“Dorah?”

“Gonna see if I can see something.” I whispered down with a grunt as I climbed, and there I was on the branches giving me even more height.

I reached out and adjusted the smaller branches clearing the leaves a bit to see, and there. I could see a much larger chunk of the field from here. The wolves were both still sneaking, and the rest of the pack was on the edge, waiting to charge in.

So we watched, hunters watching other hunters, and I nearly jumped as the wolves burst into motion with a snarl as it shot out of the grass and snapped at a female deer that was a bit too far from the group. 

It reared up in shock, the others scattering a bit, as the wolf snapped and growled in the deer's face, it rocked up forelegs wavering trying to push the deer away when the other wolf leapt out of the grass right onto the deers hind legs clamping down and it looked like the hunters would eat well today.

Of course then, suddenly it was like… My vision doubled, on one hand it was normal, on the other, fog had shifted.

Fog? Why was there fog in the middle of a clear day in the middle of a field that was completely clear, but it was there, and even as I tried to focus on what I was seeing, I heard Mama suck in a breath.

And drew an arrow.

So I readied my bow as quickly as I could.

The moment I looked away and looked back it had already happened.

There in a fog bank that was already dispersing was a deer. No, calling him just a deer wasn’t correct. A Stag, with an utterly massive crown of antlers was suddenly there, and the yelp of the wolves was loud as it gored one, launching it flying through the air with a single buck of his antlers, while the other snarled and jumped away, but wasn’t fast enough.

It bucked around and launched it’s hooves and the wolf was thrown aside like it was hit by a bear and not a deer.

It wasn’t natural. That was obvious at a glance, obvious to anyone looking at it. Swirling colors were etched across its hide, and it stood far too large to be a normal deer. Yet even as I stared at it, it marched past the wailing deer that had been attacked by the wolves, towards the wolves. It was going to kill them.

One wolf was on its side not even really moving, the other that had been kicked was moving weakly… With only its front paws.

“Dorah!” Mama called, her voice utterly serious. “We need to kill that thing. Ready!” I didn’t hesitate breathing in and bringing my arm back. I’d had quite a bit of practice with Arcane Arrow. It shot straighter than any normal arrow, which made my still poor Archery skill shine. It was much easier to shoot an Arcane Arrow that didn’t care about gravity or wind resistance. 

So as I pulled it back, the arrow glowed as I put as much energy into it as my poor skill with the spell allowed. 

[Arcane Arrow Lv 4 34/40]

Each leveled had done a few things. It enhanced the durability of the arrow letting me keep them around a little longer. I'd discovered while running around if I didn’t shoot fairly quickly the air would fade away.

It also let me sharpen the arrow head, making it dig deeper and stronger, and if I really worked at it, I could make the arrow fly a little faster. Not much, not yet, but it would get there.

So as I pulled back I couldn’t wait, and Mama knew that. Her bow twanged, and I loosed, both missiles flying through the air.

The massive deer reared up ready to stomp down on the injured wolf when the arrows struck.

Mama’s arrow hit right on target, in the side of the great deer, right where it’s heart and lungs would be, while mine missed that mark and buried itself into the hip.

But there was an immediate issue. A bellow as it shifted around and prancing about for a moment, but it was obvious that this thing was tough.

Mama’s arrow despite her strength had only just pierced through the deer's hide.

I couldn’t even tell if my Arcane arrow had done much as it vanished not long after it struck.

The deer shifted, and then it bucked its head, its antlers shifted, then it was like light was reflecting off the antlers, like they were catching the light and…

I recognized a spell build up, and I noticed it was looking at me…

Instinctively I rolled, grabbing the branch and using it to fling myself around the tree nearly sliding along the bark, which would have tore up my skin if not for the leathers I was wearing.

And I did that just in time as the tree above me exploded. Bolts of something shotgunned through the branches and each branch exploded into wooden splinters, shattering the entire top of the tree.

“Dorah!?”

“I’m fine!” I yelled out, rolling along the grass and steadying myself.

Breathe in, ignore the branches and splinters showering around me.

Draw back, exhale.

Loose.

The Arcane arrow shot straight and true! Or at least it was straight enough, it just missed, because the deer sort of jumped to the side as if he was a light baby deer, prancing through the woods and not an absolute monster.

Mama’s arrow a moment later didn’t miss, thunking into the deer's chest, it snorted, shaking its antlers as they lowered down.

“Dodge!” Mama yelled, and I decided to listen instead of finishing another arrow. I ran sideways using the trees as cover and just managed to get out of the way as the Deer lowered it’s head and then charged with a thunderous noise as it blitzed across the field moving far faster than it should and smashing through the trees like they were kindling.

Okay… We were definitely outmatched.

I rolled around another tree and looked. The deer shook its antlers, clearing them of wood and leaves as it raised its head back up and glared imperiously around itself.

Mama’s arrow smashed into its side again a moment later, and it turned.

Right think later, fight now.

I brought up my Bow, should I use Arcane Bolt instead? Should I draw my sword?

I didn’t know, but Arcane Arrow had more range.

So I drew my bow back up and charged another arrow, loosing it, as the deer smashed a tree completely over, uncovering Mama as the arrow slammed into its right flank…

The way its leg bucked a bit meant I hit something and it half turned before shaking it’s antlers and trying to smash Mama but she had used its flinch to dash away and avoided the dagger like antlers.

Okay this was bad.

The next arrow was already charged, and I fired again.

Another hit, this time slamming into its shoulders, and the deer made a sort of roar noise as it suddenly decided to be really angry about the whole situation.

Mama continued to be his target as she was so close, and she was very much running, trying to use every tree she could to slow the beast down as it charged at her, slamming and tearing up the forest in its wake.

My arrows continued glowing through as I fired over and over, everything I had, but other than a rare flinch of its muscles as the arrows struck it ignored me!

I couldn’t just hope this would work.

New plan.

I reached down and grabbed a rock. I had all the combos of this one.

Alarm, layered as loud and as many times as I could. Light as bright as I could make it, as many times, and then!

My hand glowed blue as I Mage Hand grabbed the rock and it shot away. It wasn’t incredibly fast, but accuracy was more important. Then just as I got it at the right place I yelled.

“MAMA! FLASH BANG!” I yelled, and my voice even caused the Stag to shift. And I brought the rock down from above him down right in front of his face.

And it exploded.

Even I looked away, as I let go of the spell. The light was so bright.

I brought my bow back up. Even as the noise echoed through the forest, and the Stag was staggered, having reared up in response to the light and sound right in his face.

A perfect target. I drew, Arrow formed, and fired. 

The Stag reacted, finally pulling away from Mama more because I don’t think he knew where she was anymore. The pain had at least gave him a direction, it wasn’t the right direction, but he charged around smashing more trees.

I looked over away and Mama looked frazzled, but she was pulling herself up against a tree still moving, and she could see.

Good. Hopefully her hearing wasn’t destroyed.

I drew back again, arrow formed, and I fired. 

My spell had leveled, I was pumping a bit more power into each arrow, honing that arrow head. 

It was all I could do to try and do as much damage as I could.

Then as the Stag shook his great head, tearing into trees around him, he turned his head, his eyes blinking rapidly, but… He definitely was looking at me.

I fired the next arrow I had charged, and it thunked into his chest, and then I decided I needed to use the better part of valor, and turned and ran.

Just in time as the Stag roared again and charged, tearing through everything in his path like a freight train. Just a complete monster.

I managed to swirl around a tree and roll low his vision was still messed up enough he charged right past where I was hiding and back out into the field.

Okay okay… I needed to stop that, what could I do?...

Well I had prepared this for the Trolls, but, I had done a little practice.

I brought my hands together and a moment later I had Conjured some water, the jug was torn open and I flung it around me. Watched as the water splashed everywhere.

“Generate Icecube.” I whispered, squeezing, and twisting the spell.

The spell just wasn’t really made for this, but I had mastered it, and frankly that was enough.

I also threw my hand out a second time, using the remaining water to form as many little ice balls as I could.

Okay that would have to be enough.

I started running. Can’t out DPS the monster, so CC it.

I scooped up a second rock and was preparing another Flashbang when I heard it roar behind me.

So I readied the damn thing a lot faster, and turned. 

It was charging through the trees and just before it hit my trap I threw.

“FLASH BANG!” I roared for Mama, but whatever this Stag was, it wasn't stupid.

As I looked away, so did the Stag, twisting its head and closing its eyes. The bomb went off in its face, but not as close as before, I hadn’t had time to carry it, and instead had just thrown it.

But I wasn’t going to stay still. I started running, and just after I heard it. A loud crash.

Finding a tree, I climbed up onto it’s branches and turned to see the Stag howling in anger as he kicked himself back to his feet.

The ice balls had worked, and tripped the Stag and instead of catching its hooves with the ice caltrops it had landed on them.

Dozens of them stuck from its fur, but most of them looked like they had just been crushed by its resistant hide.

Lame.

Then a dozen arrows suddenly smashed into it as it rose back to its feet. Mama rapid fired as many arrows as she could into its side, trying to reach its heart.

Seeing it turn. I took aim with my bow which took me a moment. 

Breathe, draw, create, hone, loose.

The arrow shot out as the Stag charged and it was truly a one in a million shot.

The Stag had leapt up in its prancing motion just as the arrow reached it… The Stag howled bucking wildly, as the arrow had slipped right into his asshole.

Whatever aggro Mama had gathered from her shots instantly changed. The Deer turned like a horror movie monster locking eyes on me.

“Aw crap.” I yelped and leapt as the shotgun blast of light attack once more blasted through where I had just been, but I screamed a bit. I couldn’t help it as I was flung away from the exploding tree, and I hit the ground hard, rolling a bit to try and stop the pain.

It didn’t help.

My breath was suddenly sharp and painful, and I looked down to see all the splinters that now littered my right side.

Finger sized pieces of wood had splattered over me.

Ow.

But I didn’t have time for ow.

But Ow!

No… I breathed in, as painful an act as I’d ever done, and raised my hand.

I needed the Light. I needed to heal.

Please!

The Ow! It hurt! It hurt!

My hands sputtered with light. Tears in my eyes, the taste of blood on my tongue, and pain like I”ve never felt.

But…

I couldn’t feel my bow, but my sword was there. I gripped the hilt. Hadn’t I sworn an Oath? Hadn’t I said so confidently, I would protect the innocent? That I would be an adventurer?

I would suffer. Pain would haunt the path, but I couldn’t just let it stop me here!

“H-Holy Light!” I demanded, no pleading, no more asking. I would heal, I would get up, and I would kick this monsters face in!

The light washed over me, Mana shifted into Light as greedily as I could. And the pain faded, the splinters shifting in my flesh and falling out as the light pushed them out.

I was on shaky limbs when I rose up. My bow was gone, no idea where it had landed, but a shield sounded like a better idea right now anyways. I pulled my sword and shield free and checked.

Mama was fighting. I could hear her angry screams. She was scared, but more importantly, she was in danger!

I charged forward, charging a spell in between my shield and my other hand as I cleared the rubbish and shrubs I had landed in.

The Stag was rearing up and Mama was doing well to dodge and avoid his strikes.

But he had left his ass open again

So I shot my Mana Bolt right for his ass. It landed a bit off, but the wider strike struck across the already injured location and his rearing hoove strikes shifted into an almost leap that sent him sprawling into the bushes, and Mama thankfully avoided them rolling aside and her bow was up.

Her arrow aimed as the Stag sprawled out and then regained his feet forcefully like he was attacking the ground for daring to stop him, and then Mama loosed, the arrow landed in the Stags eye, and it howled, bucking and thrashing, kicking and swiping its crown of Antlers, tearing everything apart around it.

But Mama was already running away, and I charged another Mana Bolt. My attack struck true, cutting into the hide, but…

It was about as effective as the arrow. So not much. 

I needed weak points, something Mama had obviously learned as well.

Speaking of, Mama was suddenly there, rushing next to me.

“Arrows!” She demanded, and I didn’t hesitate. Thrusting my sword straight into the dirt to free a hand I grabbed my arrows, she offered her quiver and I stuffed them inside as best I could.

They weren’t good, but the arrow heads were steel.

They would do what we needed.

Then I had a thought, one that I could push away.

“I have an-” That was as far as I got as the Stag charged, the noise was thunderous, and Mama pushed me as she leapt the other way.

I landed in a roll and shot up to my feet to try and run more, and the Stag was there. Only my shield saved me. It bucked towards me, and its antlers came down, only to meet solid elven wood, and Brass edge, and while it still splintered through, as it bucked to try and gore me, it instead caught me and threw me away.

I once more landed hard, but I rolled and brought my arm up only to wince.

I think my arm was broken.

My chest hurt, but not that much. Blood was leaking out a bit.

I brought my hand above me, and once more demanded that these injuries would be gone. I had no time for it!

The Light answered and I rose back up. My arm moving again.

The Stag was breathing heavily, as its one eye glared at me. Ah that’s why it had clipped me. Mama was on its blind side, so it had focused me.

It charged, and I didn’t have time to properly avoid it. I raised my hand. 

“LIGHT!” I yelled, open palm and the brightest light I could make flashed out, strobing and shifting and I moved, he was blind, but with his antlers he didn’t need to hit me dead on. So I didn’t try to dodge sideways, he would just swat me down. I went down, sliding forward shield raised just over my head as I slipped back on the grass.

And he ran right over me, legs tearing up the forest loam inches from my head, but he missed.

I rolled, readied Mana Bolt and fired once again, right into his asshole.

Poor Stag howled, his charged ending instantly as he thrashed. Mama was there arrows lashing barely a moment later and one of them hit the same place.

I didn’t have time for the humor of it, as he turned. “Mama!” I called out, as I brought my hands up and drew nothing but air, but an arrow formed even so, the mana holding it together wouldn’t last long, I grabbed it and tossed it.

That’s all the attention I could give it, my legs pumping to run to the side to distract. Mama doing the same, in the opposite direction. 

The Stag wasn’t just charging into us this time no. He stomped into the earth, then started stomping closer. He wanted us dead. His antlers shifted left and right as he stomped over furious and ready to maul us both when suddenly there was a flash.

An arrow sprouted from his side, and there was a moment where his entire body just jolted, slowing to a walking pace, and I could hear as its breath suddenly turned slow, harsh.

The Arcane Arrow enhanced with Mama’s strength had gone through.

It stopped, and then I realized that wasn’t better it wans’t over.

“No!” I charged forward, it was looking at Mama. Its antlers are glowing! She was in the open, there wasn’t enough cover and the Stag was looking right at her with its one eye…

My mind locked onto that fact. That it couldn’t see me. That it was stuck in place charging its spell.

I leapt into the air.

“DORAH!?” My shield cocked back and I slammed everything I had into it. Strength Surge running through my legs and my arms.

And the shield bashed right into the arrow still sticking out of its eye. The arrow was a good arrow. One of Mama’s made to endure her strength, but it was still an arrow, and they weren’t meant to take a blow quite like this. It bent and broke, but I was already pushing, grabbing onto the antler, and thrusting, squeezing the broken shaft with my shield.

And the Stag bucked, breaking the spell, Shield Bash had worked, and a moment later I was torn away spiraling through the air as it bucked upwards and I lost track of things a bit as I hit the ground a while later.

I opened my mouth. “-”

Ow.

“-Orah!?” I blinked, Mama was there, pulling me up, checking me, and ow. I couldn’t breath, it felt like my chest was caved in.

Light. I needed the Light, I needed to get up!

I couldn’t even process that thought fully when I saw it.

Behind Mama the Stag, and she must have noticed my widening eyes as she turned and scrambled for a moment before grabbing my sword, thrusting it up, the fire flashing, but the Stag wasn’t finishing its approach.

A minor setback vile elves, you will see me again, and I will display your corpses along my crown.

“----!” I wheezed unable to properly speak. DID THAT STAG JUST SPEAK!?

And then it collapsed, its legs no longer holding it up, like the strings were cut and it came down, Mama shrieked a bit and just barely leaned back to avoid the antlers skewering her.

And then all was quiet.

“D-Dorah!?” Mama said, turning to look at me again.

Right not able to breath. “---.” I wheezed out trying to be reassuring.

Probably should get on that healing thing quickly huh?