HC: Handyman | Ch. 223 - Marabous

Jack instinctively stepped back as the birds came into view.

Ten of them soared overhead—massive, silent shadows against the moonlit sky. They flew in a V formation, like migrating geese, although there was nothing peaceful about the sight. Despite the fierce gusts of tramontane that tore through the canyon, they advanced steadily, their broad wings slicing through the icy wind. The cold chipped away at their health bars, slowing their flight, but not stopping it.

Their heads were bald, with sparse feathers clinging to skeletal frames, leaving pale, blotchy skin exposed. Their beaks were long and sharp. Tufts of greasy, grey-black plumage puffed around their necks like tattered scarves, and their long legs dangled behind them like loose wires. From a distance, they might’ve looked majestic. Up close, they were grotesque. Predatory. Wrong.

He glanced at the NPCs. The soldiers had their shields raised and maces drawn, even though the birds were still high above. The goats bleated and shifted nervously as their knights worked to calm them down. 

Piri had gone back to throwing elite mobs at them, and in quantity. Jack honestly preferred it when it was just one boss. Fewer variables. Easier to manage. To worsen it, this was the first time they were facing true flyers. Ten true flyer elites. 

The only encounter with a “flyer” had been the gliding marmoset boss who hopped between canyon walls. But this was different. These birds were flying high and beyond reach. Given how desperate Amari's shout had sounded—and how grim his teammates looked—this was going to be bad.

“I hate marabous,” Marie muttered beside him, knuckles white around her grenades as she waited for the flyers to drift into range.

“Marabous?” Jack echoed. 

“Here, Jack!” Amari called, tossing the kaleidoscope.

He caught it one-handed and turned it toward the closest bird.

Species Identified: Leptoptilos robustus

Diet: Carrion-feeder, Carnivore

Level: 22

Description:

A bald-headed scavenger with a wingspan exceeding 4 meters. Though primarily carrion-feeders, they opportunistically hunt weakened prey, using their sharp beaks and aura of dread to sow panic before striking.

You’ve learned more about Leptoptilos robustus.

You’ve received a buff: [Stark Courage].

Resistance against fear debuff increased.

Jack passed the kaleidoscope to Rob while turning to Marie. “You said they are called marabous?” he asked. The name had come up once in the description.

“Marabou Storks still exist. They are a prehistoric relative. It’s easier to say than leptoptilos robustus,” she replied.

Christoff was the first to open fire. Arrows streaked upward, some glowing as he activated his damage skills. They slammed into the lead bird, and between the tramontane and his shots, its health bar finally began to dip.

Moments later, Marie joined the assault, lobbing grenades in high arcs, aiming for clusters where the explosions would catch the most targets.

Jack inhaled, steadying his focus. Then he raised the ocarina and began to play March of the Embers.

You’ve played [March of the Embers].

Success Rate: A+

+300 XP in [Bard]

Audience Bonus: +915 XP in [Bard]

Effect: All allies deal +10 (+2%) damage for 1 minute.

[Soulful Performer] activates: All allies receive +10 (+2) attack for 10 minutes.

A red glow rippled through the camp. Weapons shimmered as power surged into blades, arrows, and grenades. Around him, the NPCs straightened, tension breaking as fresh energy flooded their movements. 

Amari approached just as Jack was about to transition into the next tune.

“Good job,” he said quickly. “Save your debuffs for when they’re right above us—we’ll get more time to deal damage.”

“Got it.”

He turned to Rob. “Do you have the kaleidoscope buff already?”

“Yeah.”

“Follow me!”

The two of them sprinted up the canyon’s side path, gaining altitude. Jack had no idea what Amari was planning—but he didn’t need to. He was sure it would be worth it.

Jack refocused on his role as the team’s bard. He launched into Clay Dome, a soft red shield blooming around the ocarina. He barely paused between songs. His fingers shifted, the melody hardening as he transitioned into Into the Breach. He poured pressure into each note. 

The notes came fast. As the melody finished, the dome absorbed the damage to the ocarina’s durability. 

On the other hand, the song came out rougher than last time.

You’ve played [Into the Breach].

Performance Grade: C-

+8,500 XP in [Bard]

Audience Bonus: +4,500 XP in [Bard]

Effect: All allies gain +10 knockback for 1 second.

One second wasn’t much, but for Marie and Christoff, it was still enough to do some damage.

They unleashed a storm of projectiles in that narrow window. Emerald flares joined the mix of reds and whites as explosions blossomed midair. The birds staggered in flight, their advance stuttering.

Jack winced. The song had done little. That hadn’t been the smartest choice.

Lilly’s Lullaby, Tenderizing Repercussion, or Sonic Valley—any of those would’ve been better here. He just got too excited about how impactful the new song had been on the last two waves. Now, the time it took him to play two songs was wasted.

Despite the storm of arrows and blasts, the birds pressed on. As they flew into blowgun range, the One-Eyes joined the fray. A volley of blow darts shot skyward.

“Focus fire on the frontrunner!” Marie shouted.

The squad responded instantly, all ranged attacks zeroing in on the lead bird.

Jack watched the marabous’ trajectory. They were seconds from breaching the ditch line. He lifted his ocarina and began to play Lilly’s Lullaby. The notes drifted upward—slow, delicate, meant to lull. If he could get them to sleep, just like he’d done with the Flying Marmoset, Tramontane might push them back and give them a breather.

As he was halfway through the song. The birds screamed.

First one, then the others. It wasn’t a screech. It wasn’t even a roar. It was a grotesque caw—like a person screaming. One sounded like an old woman sobbing, another like a smoker laughing through broken glass. Each cry was different. Each was wrong. Terrifying. Human, but not.

The world twisted.

Shouts became echoes. The beat of wings turned into thunder. His feet moved before his thoughts could catch up, driven by sheer instinct. Cold washed over his limbs.

You’ve been afflicted by the [Fear] debuff.

You flee in terror.

He staggered, then bolted. His feet pounded the dirt as panic hijacked his body.

Only after several seconds did his senses return. He skidded to a halt, breath ragged. He wasn’t alone. Half the squad had broken ranks. NPCs were still scrambling, running in circles, eyes wide with mindless fear.

Jack swallowed hard. He was used to inflicting debuffs, not suffering them. It was a deeply unpleasant reversal.

He blinked the blur from his eyes. Their formation was shattered—scattered bodies, broken lines, panic. 

He caught sight of Marie, shaking her head. He and she had snapped out of it faster than the NPCs, thanks to the kaleidoscope’s buff.

Without it, the terror would’ve lasted longer.

With no one left to stop them, the birds soared overhead in formation, numbers intact.

Dread pooled in Jack’s gut. They were doing almost nothing to these things. Only the lead bird showed visible wounds, and it still had over half its health left. Their health pools were massive.

“Quick! After them!” Marie shouted, sprinting forward without letting up on her barrage. The other NPCs gave chase, too, but their DPS suffered. Their shots scattered as they ran.

Jack exchanged a quick look with Horace. They nodded in unison and joined the pursuit.

“At this rate, we won’t make it!” Jack shouted over the wind.

“Don’t lose your cool! We still have the towers, if it comes to that. Just play one of your songs!” Horace called back.

“Right. Right!” Jack lifted his ocarina and began Lilly’s Lullaby again.

He’d only just started when two sharp cries rang out from above.

War cries.

Two shadows broke from the canyon rim—Rob and Amari—dropping like daggers from the dark. They fell fast, blades drawn.

They landed hard, each crashing onto the back of a flying stork. The birds shrieked and flailed, but their formation held.

“Woohoo! You get them, guys!” Horace whooped, pumping his fist as they ran.

The sky erupted into chaos.

Amari clung to his target like a burr, driving his strongest combo into the beast’s back. Its health bar dropped in massive chunks.

Rob’s blades blurred as he drove his attacks home. His higher level let him carve through the bird’s defenses like butter. And despite the creature’s elite status, it couldn’t withstand the barrage.

The first bird dropped.

Cheers erupted from the NPC soldiers below.

But Jack didn’t celebrate. Not yet.

It was still two rogues against nine elites. The math wasn’t in their favor.

Amari struck again—but the bird twisted violently, wings snapping to one side. He lost his grip.

Jack’s heart skipped a beat as Amari plummeted, vanishing beneath the canyon’s edge. His chest tightened. He knew Amari was tough, but seeing him fall like that still twisted his gut.

He hadn’t even finished the job. But they’d bought enough time.

Jack’s song reached its final note.

You’ve played [Lilly’s Lullaby].

Performance Grade: C

Effect: Enemies fall asleep.

Two of the birds slowed, wings faltering. Instead of being sent backward, they dipped gently, slowly, gliding like paper planes toward the ground.

“Only two?!” Jack muttered, frustrated. It was the worst result he’d ever had with the lullaby.

“Good job, Jack!” Horace said, undeterred. “Quick! Infantry! Cavalry! After me!” he bellowed, already sprinting toward the grounded birds.

Amari had recovered and took off after Horace without hesitation.

Above, Rob was still midair. He finished off his second bird with a final slash—but as he leapt for a third, it veered hard. He missed, slammed into the canyon wall, and kicked off it again, scrambling to climb and regain position.

Things were falling apart.

The remaining birds were already two-thirds of the way to the fortress. At this pace, they’d break through long before the team could stop them.

I have to make them circle back.

Jack raised the ocarina again and began to play Angry Void. The melody twisted and grated—sharp, jarring notes that echoed across the canyon like a siren’s wail. 

If it worked, they’d turn.

It was their only chance.

But before the melody could take hold, another sound rose—louder, mechanical. Gears locking. Turbines spinning to life.

The twin star towers flanking the wall activated with a sudden clatter.

Wood and steel shot forth so fast they blurred into continuous beams, each volley stitching a deadly thread through the sky. From a distance, they looked like solid rods connecting tower to target. 

One elite shredded instantly. The next fell seconds later. Then another. And another. When the towers had cleared the skies, they turned toward the grounded birds.

A fresh barrage ripped into them, transforming the downed Terror Waders into bloody pincushions.

Within fifteen seconds, it was all over.

Wave 43 complete.

All that remained was the sound of dying wind through the canyon—and the faint hum of the towers powering down.
Jack let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “So... that’s what overkill looks like.”

The NPCs began to trickle back to position while Jack and the others regrouped near the edge of the ditch.

“Oof. Those birds were tough,” Amari said, stretching his arms. “I decided it was safer to activate the Star Towers in the end.”

“Goodness me,” Horace said, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. “A package that costs seventy Breach Points is so OP.”

“And we didn’t even use the other four towers,” Rob added, glancing toward the inactive turrets.

“It gives us some breathing room, that’s for sure,” Amari said. His tone turned more serious. “But I don’t like how things are going. We were able to deal comfortably with wave forty-one. Here we are on wave forty-three, and we only have three aces left”—referring to their big-ticket abilities and one-time-use tools.

There were still seven more waves to go.

“The good news is, the towers shredded that wave. I think they might be strong enough to steamroll the rest. Right? If we’d used them right at the beginning, the storks wouldn’t have even reached the first ditch.”

“That’s our only hope.”

He turned to Jack. “If we hadn’t followed your suggestion and bought that aid package, we wouldn’t have made it. Good call, Jack. Really.”

Jack gave a small nod.

“Anyway,” Amari said, brushing off his gloves. “I guess we’re turning these babies on every wave now. Get ready to open your purses—because we’re buying our way through the rest of this run.” 

Ch. 222 - Wave 43

INDEX

Ch. 224 - Field Remedy