The lion’s roar made Piper freeze, her eyes widening at the sheer size of the creature. The power emanating from the beast nearly made her knees buckle, and the air felt thick with menace. This was no normal lion. Something was terribly wrong here.

  Alfred seemed to come to the same conclusion, and he cursed under his breath, “Infernus take me. It’s a bloody awakened lion.” In one smooth motion, he raised his bow and loosed an arrow. The projectile soared through the air and thudded into the lion’s shoulder.

  The beast let out another mighty roar and charged forward. With each bounding step, snow sprayed up from under its paws, and its powerful muscles flowed like water. It looked like the perfect predator as it moved.

  Shaking her head, Piper pushed down her fear and focused on the fight at hand. She nocked an arrow, drew back her arm, and loosed. The arrow missed the lion by a wide margin and thudded into a tree trunk behind it.

  “Take your time,” Alfred grunted, aiming a second arrow. He released the bowstring, and the missile wobbled as it soared forward; it slammed into the lion’s chest and sank deep into its flesh. But the beast barely slowed its charge.

  Taking a calming breath, Piper pulled out another arrow from her quiver. The lion was quickly eating up the ground between them with large strides, so she had to make this shot count. It might be the last one she was able to fire.

  She made sure her grip was perfect and then drew back in one swift motion. Using the momentum, she released the arrow, and it sailed toward the lion. It struck its front leg, making the beast stumble.

  “I hit it!” Piper cried out with elation. “I hit the lion!”

  Ding! Your skill, Archery has reached Level 3.

  “Good shot,” Alfred said. As he spoke, he tossed his bow aside and drew the axe from his belt. The lion was nearly upon them now. “If the battle turns south, I want you to run.” When she opened her mouth to reply, he cut her off. “No arguments.”

  Piper reached for another arrow but then stopped herself. If Alfred was fighting the lion in hand-to-hand combat, she couldn’t risk loosing a missile. But then how could she help him? She stuffed her arrow back into her quiver and leaned the bow against a bush. Drawing her dagger, she moved to back up Alfred in melee.

  Piper immediately regretted her decision to put her bow down as the lion skidded to a stop a short distance away. The beast straightened up, a halo of fire forming above its head. The snowflakes striking the revolving fire immediately disappeared into little puffs of steam. Then, the flames began to spin rapidly.

  “Run!” Alfred shouted as he backpedaled away from the lion.

  She half-turned to flee before she stopped herself. There was no way that Alfred was going to reach cover before the lion unleashed its fire. That meant he was going to take the brunt of the spell so she could escape.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  Pivoting on the balls of her feet, she sprinted back toward Alfred. As a maelstrom of flames erupted from the lion, she threw herself in front of him. The conflagration hit her squarely in the stomach. It burned through her clothing, her skin, and then ate into her belly.

  She screamed until her lungs gave out, and then in a haze of agony, she activated [Demonic Blood]. The fiery sensation of her healing ability battled against the flames trying to consume her. Thankfully, her racial skill quickly won out, and her organs and skin reformed. But it had taken a serious chunk out of her mana.

  “Foolish girl,” Alfred roared, dropping to his knees by her side. “Why did you do that?”

  Piper blinked her eyes, realizing she was lying on her back. When had that happened? Shaking her head, she patted at the smouldering bits on the ruins of her clothing. “I’m fine,” she gasped, a puff of smoke coming out of her lips. “Alright, maybe not completely fine.”

  Alfred’s face contorted with rage as he rose up the face the lion. The beast stood unmoving, clearly confused as to why they were both still alive. Most likely, it had used its magic to take down other prey in the past.

  Thankfully, I’m no normal prey.

  Stumbling to her feet, she gazed at the ragged hole in her clothing exposing her belly. If the lion didn’t get her, she was probably going to freeze to death on the way home. But that was a problem to worry about later. If there were a later.

  Piper reached for her dagger, only to realize she’d lost it. Before the lion had struck her with the spell, she’d been holding it in her hand. She must have dropped it after being hit. A quick scan of the snow didn’t reveal its location, which meant she’d have to rely on her claws and tail. Not ideal when the lion could throw around jets of flame.

  While she was regaining her feet, Alfred had advanced on the lion. He held his axe in a defensive position, his features tight. In response, the lion padded around him, letting out a deep growl.

  She moved forward to stand behind Alfred, but he waved her back. She hesitated for a second before retreating. He was right—she’d probably only get in the way. He’d been fighting beasts and monsters in the hills before she was born. Still, she hated doing nothing while he risked his life.

  Alfred let out a war cry and charged forward. The lion responded with a roar and reared up to meet the big man with its claws. They crashed together, claws flashing in the falling snow, and the axe singing.

  Blood sprayed out after each strike, both Alfred and the lion taking wounds. The axe bit deeply into the lion’s neck, while the beast swiped a paw across Alfred’s arm. After another flurry of blows, they separated, each of them staggering back like exhausted boxers.

  Piper took half a step forward and pressed her lips together. She had to do something! There was a lot of blood in the snow, and a fair bit of it was Alfred’s. But what could she do without getting in the way?

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  For a moment, she considered using her spell, [Veil of Lies]. Maybe she could distort the ground to make the lion trip. But she quickly discarded that idea. She had an equal chance of making Alfred stumble. And that could be deadly for him.

  I have to think of something!

  She was still thinking furiously when the two fighters came together again. They exchanged blows, the axe becoming lodged in the lion’s shoulder and ripping free from Alfred’s grip. The lion tried to bite him, but at the last second, he evaded its snapping jaws.

  Alfred stumbled back, with a look of shock on his face as the lion limped after him. The big man’s eyes scanned the forest, likely looking for anything to use as a weapon. But there wasn’t even any deadwood visible above the snow.

  Piper quickly cast [Veil of Lies] in front of him. The air shimmered for a second before he disappeared behind it. The lion stopped in its tracks and cocked its head to the side. But for all intents and purposes, Alfred had disappeared.

  Alfred quickly grasped the situation, and he stood unmoving behind the illusion. His hands twitched at his side as the lion stood only a few paces away from him. If the lion saw through her illusion, he was going to be in serious trouble.

  The lion’s eyes scrutinized the forest, searching for its prey. Then it lifted its nose to sniff the air.

  “Crap,” she muttered. “It’s going to smell him.”

  With no other options, she charged back toward her bow. Maybe she could distract it long enough for Alfred to get to safety. As she ran, she heard the beast’s pounding footsteps behind her. With Alfred nowhere to be found, she was its new target.

  Piper dropped to her knees and skidded through the snow, snatching her bow as she slid past. Spinning around, she nocked an arrow and loosed right as the lion pounced on her. The arrow punched through its rib cage and penetrated deep into its chest.

  But the shot didn’t slow down the lion’s momentum in the slightest. It slammed into her like a runaway train. She felt claws slicing through her arm, and the impact sent her cartwheeling through the snow. Something snapped in her forearm, and she cried out in pain.

  The lion was on her again in an instant, a blur of sharp teeth and slashing claws. It clamped its mouth on her shoulder, shaking her like a dog with a chew toy. Then its claws tore at her exposed belly.

  But she gave as good as she got. Her tail lashed out, the armored tip plunging into the lion’s body. She repeatedly activated [Quick Claw] and the claws on her good hand raked its belly. Another [Tail Strike] made the beast howl with pain.

  Piper raised her claws to strike again, only for the lion to stiffen. Without a sound, it collapsed on top of her, smothering her under its immense weight. As she desperately tried to push off the beast, she was bombarded with notifications.

  Congratulations! You have slain a lion, Level 31.

  A significant bonus to experience has been granted for slaying a higher-level beast.

  Ding! Your race, Shadeling has reached level 3.

  +10 free attribute points

  ….

  Ding! Your race, Shadeling has reached level 10.

  +10 free attribute points

  Ding! Your class, Deceiver has reached level 2.

  +10 free attribute points

  ….

  Ding! Your class, Deceiver, has reached level 5.

  +10 free attribute points

  Ding! Your racial skill, Tail Strike has reached Level 6.

  …

  Ding! Your racial skill, Tail Strike has reached Level 8.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Quick Claw has reached Level 6.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Quick Claw has reached Level 7.

  Ding! Your spell, Veil of Lies has reached Level 2.

  Ding! Your spell, Veil of Lies has reached Level 3.

  Piper barely read any of the text as she tried to free herself from underneath the lion. She couldn’t breathe, and the edges of her vision were fraying. After a few seconds of struggling, a powerful grip grabbed her cloak and dragged her out from underneath the slain beast.

  The second she was free, she gulped down a lungful of sweet, beautiful air. Every part of her hurt, but at least she’d survived. And she’d received a crazy number of levels.

  Stumbling to her feet, she cradled her injured arm. There was no question the bone was broken. It was sticking up underneath the skin in a stomach-churning way. Once her mana regenerated, she should be able to use [Demonic Blood] to heal herself. Her clothing was another matter—it was completely destroyed. Ethel was going to be pissed.

  When she finally looked up, she was greeted with a stony expression on Alfred’s face. This look was usually reserved for Ophelia when she’d done something incredibly stupid, which was a little bit scary. Based on his expression, she might not survive long enough for Ethel to kill her.

  “What did I tell you to do?” he asked in a deceptively calm voice, the rage boiling just beneath the surface. “What’s the one thing I told you before the fight?”

  “I couldn’t just leave you,” she protested. “I had to do something when the lion was casting the spell.”

  “How many lions have you fought before today?”

  “Zero,” she said, looking down at her feet. For a second, she considered mentioning the fact that she’d defeated a demon, but that would probably only make the situation worse.

  Alfred took a deep breath before tugging on his beard. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, Piper. You’ve become like a daughter to me over the last year.” He sighed, and some of the anger seemed to dissipate. “With that being said, while you don’t listen well, you’re a capable fighter. And brave for your age. I’m not sure if I could have defeated the awakened beast without you. How are your injuries?”

  She beamed at his words and held up her arm. “I’m pretty sure I broke my arm. But as soon as my mana regenerates, I should be able to fix it.” Then she turned her gaze to his injuries and noted the blood dripping down from his hand. “Are you alright?”

  “Nothing a few bandages won’t fix.” He shook his head. “Though I admit I wouldn’t mind having your healing abilities.” As he spoke, he unwrapped his fur cloak and handed it to her. “Try to tie that around yourself. It should keep you warm enough until we get home.”

  Piper took the cloak and attempted to tie it around her midsection. After a few failed attempts, she simply hung it over her front. It still let in the cold, but at least she was somewhat shielded from the biting wind.

  Alfred placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her earnestly. “While your race makes you powerful,” he said. “You’re still just a young girl. And you’re a complete novice with your class. That’s a dangerous combination in battle.”

  “I think I did pretty well,” she said indignantly. “I killed the lion, didn’t I?”

  Alfred pointed at the beast.

  She turned to look and saw his axe protruding from the lion’s skull. While she’d been wrestling with it, he must have snuck up, retrieved his weapon, and slain the lion. “Oh,” she said. “Maybe I didn’t kill it…”

  Alfred walked over to the lion and wrenched his weapon free. Then he wiped it off on the beast’s fur. Sliding it through his belt, he turned back to Piper. “An illusionist should never get into hand-to-hand combat. Why didn’t you use your illusion spell to hide yourself as you loosed your arrows?”

  She pressed her lips together and frowned. In hindsight, there were a dozen times she could have used her spells to better effect. Alfred was right—the lion never should have seen her in the battle. In fact, she could have hidden them both at the start of the fight. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

  The big man walked over and patted her on the back. “You’ll get there eventually. I just don’t want you to get into trouble. The next time we fight something, I expect you to listen to me. Understood?”

  She nodded her head vigorously.

  “Good,” he said wearily. “Let’s go home.”