"How goes the raven hunt?"

This time, it was a new priest lying prostrate on the floor before the Emperor. Though he wore the same white robes that marked him a high priest, this one was a little older, more humble, and wore less jewelry.

Glancing at the priest, the Emperor only gives him a cursory look. He'll do.

He should be better than that other High Priest. The other one had been too eager to please, too sloppy in his behavior. With just him in charge, the slaves would probably never even find a black feather, let alone a raven.

The man on the floor licks his dry lips "We've discovered that the previous High Priest...He'd sent in three slaves." He'd prepared himself for this meeting with the Emperor, but the regal presence before him was overwhelming..and frightening almost, in a holy way.

Sweat drips down his brow, but the Priest stays still. The other High Priests he'd begged for advice had told him it was better not to hide anything from the Emperor. You could only tell him everything and hope you survived.

Leaning forward on his throne, the Emperor smiles.

"Three?" What a foolish High Priest. It was a good thing that one had been taken care of.

The Emperor's eyes knew a bad fruit when he saw one. He tolerated them mostly, especially when they came from the upper ranks of nobles. But he would never tolerate laziness. Sloth could destroy an Empire from the inside out, eating away at it like white ants till it rotted away into nothingness.

And three was pathetic. Maybe he should have granted that priest a more- "exciting" death.

Taking in a breath, the priest continues with his report. "We've been told by the ship's captain that sold them that most slaves had already been sold off to the castle or contracted by traders"

"I see."

"My Venerable Light, I've remedied this by intercepting the next shipment shipment of slaves and sent them all on their way to the Wildlands"

"Hmm. Good. How many this time?"

"300 slaves, Venerable Light"

Tapping his fingers against his chin, the Emperor pauses. "Give them all the charged mana collars."

"Al-" Biting down the shock that threatens to spill out, the priest desperately struggles to keep a solemn face.

"My Light, we've been warned by the villagers that disruptions inside the Wildlands could draw the creatures out."

He was one of the few High Priests that had worked their way up the ranks, a former civilian. He knew the struggle of the villagers to provide grain to feed the armies of the Empire. The villagers had repeatedly warned him that when the monsters did come out of the Wildlands, carnage and loss trailed in their wake. Fields trampled, women taken, the villages emptied or burned to the ground.

"It won't do to have our precious villagers upset, would it?" The kind smile in the Emperor's eyes makes the High Priest relax his shoulders.

But then his next words make the Priest's heart beat quickly in fear.

"Lower the setting of the explosion."

"Here"

Picking up a golden figurine that lay atop his desk, the Emperor drops it upon the waiting servant's cushioned tray.

"Take the Sparrow Regiment as well."

Now how hard should it be to kill the raven with 300 slaves and a regiment of soldiers? Already considering the matter finished, the Emperor wipes his fingers on another handkerchief and discards it on the floor.

"Thank you Holy Emperor for your Glorious Care!"

Bowing profusely at his Emperor's kindness, the High Priest cradles the golden sparrow figure to his chest. The mighty Emperor truly did care for them.

Having a regiment of soldiers was comforting. A direct order from the Emperor like this meant that he would not be allowed to fail.

And he would not.

The High Priest would accompany the regiment to see to it their orders were carried out.

--------------

GROOOOOOOOOOAR!!!

The ear-splitting cry was loud enough to cause a nearby flock of birds to startle away. And it made me freeze in my tracks.

Ice-cold fear splashes through my veins, making me unable to move.

What was this!?

The backlit outline of the creature raising a sword above me looked ferocious. Like those bronze or clay idols found in anthropology-related displays, the upper half of the body had arms growing out of it?

Squinting, I try to make out what this creature was. The bright blue skies behind the creature made it hard to see the fine details. Only the outline of it, like the photographs on a exposed background, was all I could see.

And the lower half was like the thick hindquarters of an ox, hooves stamping into the dirt with tail swaying madly behind it.

"Krawk!!"

The cry that comes out of me finally allows my body to move.

Squawking in surprise, I step backwards. And not a second too soon. The sword cuts across the air in a horizontal slice, right where I would have been.

Two voices sound from it, one gruff and booming, another low and monotonous, like the smooth rumblings of a cow. As I step away further and further, I can see it for what it really was.

What was this creature!?

Two creatures!

A Minotaur!?

And a dwarf!!!?

The Minotaur pawed the ground with his hooves, snorting heavily while lowering his torso. And- he had no arms! Only two stumps where his shoulders should extend into arms, his torso that of a furred man's.

But still, he was ready and focused on killing me, from the way he never took his eyes off of me.

Atop his neck, there was a dwarf, two hands holding the sword out in front of the Minotaur's neck.

What were they doing here?

Flying back further away from the duo, I check behind them on the woman on the ground. Would she turn into a monster too!?

3 vs. 1 would make the situation even worse.

From the way her hair started to coil around, I knew she'd been the one controlling the trees.

So why were they attacking me!?

I didn't know, and at this point, I didn't have the time to care. It was either kill or be killed.

Activate [Berserk (Passive)] !

"Agajskghzg!"

"Nbhj!"

The dwarf and Minotaur speak to each other as they run at me, the dwarf swinging down towards me again. He only swung when the Minotaur spoke, waiting for the signal.

It was sloppy, the way they tried to attack me. Nothing like the total coordination of the wolves.

Using [Evasive Maneuvers] I easily dodge each powerful swing that slices the air. If that hit me, I was really a goner. Too bad for the duo that their compatibility to fight was terrible.

The dwarf's arms were too short to reach me, while the Minotaur had to hunch down or spring back up to match my movements bouncing through the air.

GRAAAAAAR!

Another swipe of the sword.

Screeeech!

It glances against my talons, making me wince.

Master!

Seems like he couldn't take it anymore.

No Greenie! Stay back!

Greenie leaps out of the bush and body slams the opponent. This slingshot I'd made for him with so much care swung forlornly as it stayed belted into his loincloth.

But the Minotaur was not a Minotaur for nothing.

Even with Greenie's strength as a Savage Goblin Rare, it was only enough to pushe the minotaur backward, hooves digging up dirt. It wasn't enough to send him flying.

The Minotaur smiles and returns the favor.

No!

The dwarf stabs the sword into Greenie's shoulder, twisting when he hits flesh. Greenie flies backwards as the minotaur uses his shoulder stump to slam greenie backwards and into a tree.

Wave of pain make me wince as I feel Greenie's pain through our link. I dial it down a few notches though, so I can focus on the attackers before us.

Greenie groans, and gets up, blood running down his forehead.

He looked concussed. But fine, for now.

I fly between Greenie and the pair attacking us.

Stay away from Greenie!

GROOOOOOOARRR!

No that wasn't the Minotaur roaring.

Stepping back, the Minotaur stares at me, confused that the same sound he'd cried at the beginning of the battle was now being returned to him.

That sound actually came from me. I'd copied it perfectly. So this was the Mimicry ability of a Nachtkrapp!!

I'd underestimated it. At most, I'd been planning on using it as a lure to hunt monsters. Not as an offensive ability.

But this could work!

If I could replicate a Minotaur roar, then how about this!?

ROOARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

How was the cry of a lion?!

The rough noise scratches out of my throat, but it was enough to surprise the Minotaur even more. Thunderous and ear-splitting, it rings out and makes the Minotaur's cow face scrunch up, wincing.

And the dwarf on his neck sways slightly, grabbing at his ears.

This was my chance!

I fly in for the kill. Right now, it was the dwarf who posed the biggest threat with the sword in his hand.

I didn't have any weapons except my body. And I needed to separate these two.

The dwarf expertly ducks each swing of my talons aimed towards his face. It was difficult to attack him when he was on the ground. I had to turn and swoop down each time, lifting myself to regain the momentum I'd lost with each attack.

If the lion's roar didn't work…

Every time the Minotaur turned and yelled at the dwarf to swing his sword, I turned with him, going behind the dwarf. But I still couldn't get close enough to hurt them. The Minotaur was moving too quickly for me to keep up.

Sometimes he would duck, leaving me grasping at empty air.

I think of the loudest sound I'd ever heard in my life. A ship's horn!

Could I replicate that?

BEEEEEEEEEP!!

Flying around the head of the Minotaur while the dwarf locked his legs around its neck and swung his sword around blindly, I continued with the sound attack.

BEEEEEEEEEEEP!!

BEEEEEP!

And now here's a police siren!

WHEEEOOOOO-WHEOOOOOO losers!

I'm taking you down!

The sound of the police siren rings unnaturally against the acoustics of the wood, making the air vibrate uncomfortably. It hurt me to hear, even though it was coming out of my own beak.

The minotaur stiffens at the noise, losing his momentum and missing me at the last minute.

It was working!

[Skill: Call Mimicry upgraded from LV1 to LV2!]

The dwarf covers his ears, unable to take the sound anymore, and falls off the Minotaur, disoriented. Of course, without arms, the Minotaur was unable to catch him, and with a loud thud, the dwarf hit the ground.

But he quickly jumps up again, shouting out towards the Minotaur.

These two were a hardy bunch. I needed to take them out, not just with Greenie's brute force or confusing them with sound. Well, now their coordinated attacks were no longer an issue. It was easy enough for me to stay out of a blind dwarf's reach.

But in the meantime....

How about a more high-pitched noise?

Here's the sound of a rape-whistle!

KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!

"Ankjhdf!!!"

"Slkggsi! Hjosa!"

The two roared at each other bus seemed unable to understand what each was saying over the sound blaring out of me as I alternated from rape-whistle, police siren, and boat horn.

This was my chance!!

Folding my wings close, I swoop in with claws outstretched, aiming for the Minotaur's eyes. If they were both blinded, they couldn't hurt me. Haha!

Roaaar!!!

A miss! But I'd scratched off a good chunk of his cheekbone. In the blink of an eye, the Minotaur's eyes turn red as if enraged. He crouches low on the ground, waiting for my next move as I veer around to go and try to peck his chest.

The moment I dive in again, like a missile aimed straight at him,

He flips on his strong hind legs and,

ARGHH!!

Crack!

Hard hoof meets feathered body.

He'd punted me mid-air as he does a flip, falling on his back with a crash!

I couldn't control my momentum anymore. My body was hurtling straight towards Greenie, where he sat, rubbing his head dazed.

No!

If I hit him with my beak or my talons, he would get cut into ribbons.

My body wasn;t responding, stil in shock from the jarring pain of the powerful kick.

No matter how hard I tried to spread my wings and slow my momentum, it didn't work.

Finally my talons curl inward,

Spiraling right at Greenie, all I can do is pray that my beak doesn't pierce right through him.

STOP!!

Everything seems to go in slow motion. My eyes, widening as I draw closer and closer to Greenie. Greenie, unable to move, dazed as he rubbed the back of his head. Something else green that comes between us..

THUD!

And then time winds back up again.

The hag had somehow gotten between Greenie and I.

Her aged figure falls to the ground, the flesh I'd torn off her back hanging off my beak.

---------

"Now that is some fine entertainment."

Inside one of the many temples dedicated to the Light, the priest leans back in his plush chair, enjoying the view that was flickering in front of him through the blue mana crystal set on the table. He was a part of the old group; under the leadership of the previous Head Priest who had first received orders from the Emperor. And he'd been assigned the worst job of all. Overseer.

Next to him sat a glass the red wine from the year's Offering. It had been boring so far to watch the trio of slaves bumbling about in the Wildlands, and with bad reception too.

The sound and image would constantly cut out, and then reappear, another aspect of the Wildlands that made many unwilling to explore it.

Even this job of watching the slaves had been pushed upon him by the other priests after much cajoling and threatening. The priest had settled for this bottle of wine after being threatened with a forced absence during the monthly Assembly called by the Emperor. Every priest wanted to attend an Assembly. If the Emperor noticed them there, it would mean great riches, glory, and best of all, recognition from the Emperor himself.

"An armless Minotaur and a blind dwarf fighting against a raven?"

It was titillating to see, reminding the priest of the gladiator fights that the Emperor held annually. But this fight was special. Unlike the gladiator fights that were open to the public, this one was for his eyes only.

He felt powerful, almost like he was the Emperor himself. Though he would never dare admit it. With just a thought, he could get rid of the entire group with the explosion caused by the overloading mana crystals.

This must be what the old gods felt like, to be entertained by those lower than them.

Unable to contain his euphoric smile from the heady rush of adrenaline running through his veins, the priest's eyes stay glued to the scene being played out before him.

The unstable mana stones in the slave collars remained untouched, for now.