"Where are you going?" Tessia asked, hot on my heels as I walked through the camp.

  All around us people were working hard to chop down trees and build minor traps and fortifications. It was kind of ironic that we earned an environment bonus called Friends of the Forest when we were busy chopping it down.

  "Hunting with Iron," I answered flatly.

  "Iron?" she shook her head. "But we need to prepare the camp for tonight."

  "The bird. And yes; you do, but I don't."

  She furrowed her brows. "You could help."

  I stopped, turning to her. "Why?"

  She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean why? 'Cause you want to keep our settlement safe?"

  Our settlement...I raised an eyebrow. "I see. That is a good point. I wasn't planning on being gone all day, just a little while."

  She eyed me suspiciously. "Then take me with you."

  "What?"

  "You heard me."

  I scrunched my nose. "Why would I?"

  "So I can keep an eye on you, and maybe pick up a few tricks along the way."

  And keep me from fighting more redeemers, probably.

  I rubbed my chin. She was the highest leveled person I'd seen so far. Seeing what she was capable of was a pretty good deal; it would help me gauge my own ability, but I couldn't let loose with her watching me. If news spread to the redeemers that I wasn't the type of summoner you'd expect, things would get difficult.

  Well, nothing ventured...

  I sighed. "You sure the others will manage without you?"

  "Yeah. Aya is stronger than me in a head-on fight anyway."

  I nodded and resumed walking. "Don't fall behind."

  Party formed

  Jackson Weller

  Level: 16 Summoner

  Teresa Lark

  Level: 7 Thief

  She snorted and jogged up to my side. "Of course I won't."

  I wouldn't be so sure.

  We reached the edge of camp, and I held a bush aside for her to walk through. "After you."

  She rolled her eyes and pushed through, freezing on the other side for a moment. I walked out right after her, feeling the same thing she felt: a weak snap in the back of my mind. It lingered there, tugging in the direction of the Verdant Glade.

  "Are you feeling that?" she asked.

  I nodded. "I guess that's the beacon at work."

  It was weird, kind of like having an internal compass to guide you home. If this was what the redeemers felt, then it was no wonder how they had managed to gather so many people in such a short time.

  I whistled, and Iron dove down to my arm. Scratching his beak, I ordered, "Look for prey and human survivors."

  "Survivors?" Tessia—or apparently Teresa—asked as Iron streaked into the sky.

  "Yeah." I shrugged. "I figured I could look for people while hunting. The beacon kind of makes it feel like pissing in the wind, though."

  "Huh," she muttered.

  I scowled. "What?"

  She smirked. "I didn't peg you as the type to care."

  "Why wouldn't I? Fighting with a few redeemers doesn't make me some kind of murderous psycho."

  She raised her hands into the air. "You said that, not me."

  I rolled my eyes. "If I can save someone, then I will."

  She covered her mouth with a hand and chuckled. "Very heroic."

  "You talk too much," I sighed and sped off.

  She really did. I could practically feel my social battery draining just from being around her, which is why it felt all the more rewarding to leave her tasting my dust as I darted through the forest.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Her surprised yelp caught up with me, and not soon after, her footsteps approached, too. "Wait up!" she shouted.

  I glanced back. "I thought I told you not to fall behind!"

  She creased her brow, but her glare only fueled me. I faced forward again, my foot slamming into the ground. Each muscle and tendon in my leg compressed with tension, then exploded with energy as I dashed off.

  Cool winds whipped against my face, the wolf-hood flapped behind me. I dodged roots and rocks without difficulty—each of them acutely visible to my enhanced senses as I sped past. Ducking and hopping, twisting and turning, I moved through the forest like a predator on the hunt, my body powerful enough to take me wherever I wanted to go. This was freedom.

  A sudden urge arose, one that made my heart drum against my chest hard enough that I couldn't possibly ignore it. If I was already the weird one, why not embrace it? Craning my neck to face the sky, I let out a primal howl.

  Iron cawed in the distance, signaling me where to go. Dirt sprayed as I skidded across the ground and changed direction. Glancing back, I confirmed that Tessia was still following, now wearing a confused expression on her face slick with sweat. A chuckle bubbled in my gut, but I suppressed it and unsheathed my dagger, pointing it toward Iron.

  "That way," I said, chest heaving.

  Tessia stopped, folding at her waist with a grating breath. "What kind of fucking summoner are you?" she asked.

  I raised an eyebrow. "A fit one?"

  "That doesn't explain your speed..." she groaned.

  "What can I say? I've got a good spread in Strength, Agility, and Endurance."

  "As a summoner?"

  I shrugged. "Yeah? What about you? What's stopping you from leveling intelligence and wisdom?"

  She straightened back out, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "Common sense? Not to mention a lack of free stat points."

  I crouched and snuck into a thick knit of trees, pulling my wolf hood up. Motioning her to follow with a finger pressed against my lips, I whispered, "Lack? How many do you get?"

  She ducked and followed, expertly cushioning her steps to limit sound. "All thieves get two agility, one strength, and one free point per level."

  "Huh..."

  "What about you?"

  "That's a secret."

  Indignation colored her face red like she was a bomb about to blow. "Wha-"

  I stopped her by shoving a hand against her mouth and pointing through the trees. No more than twenty paces from us stood a family of Whitehorn deer.

  [Whitehorn Deer LV17]

  [Whitehorn Deer LV13]

  [Whitehorn Deer LV5]

  Tessia reached her hand to the hilt of her dagger, but I grabbed it before she could unsheathe the weapon. "Wait."

  "We can take them," she whispered.

  And I thought I was the only one stupid enough to fight higher leveled monsters.

  I sighed and nodded my chin past the monsters. "I know, but look behind them."

  There was something other than monsters here, otherwise Iron would have chirped, not cawed. It took me a while to spot them huddling behind a cluster of trees: two broad-shouldered men with bows and arrows. They were too far to appraise, but anyone could tell that they were rangers, or at the very least something adjacent to the class.

  Tessia looked over, brows creasing. "People," she muttered.

  "Yes. And we won't be interrupting their hunt. We'll work together with them."

  "What if they're redeemers?"

  I shook my head. "They aren't."

  "How can you tell?"

  I didn't answer, but I just could. They were on the clock, and it made them desperate. It showed. After seeing a few of them, I'd started seeing patterns in the way they carried themselves. They were twitchy, always alert. These two men didn't exude any desperation. They were simply two people trying their best to survive in a new world.

  One of them peeked out from behind cover, pressing his body close to the tree and using it to support his arm as he pulled the string taut. He aimed for what felt like an eternity before loosing the arrow. The drum of the string slapping against his wooden bow made the deer twitch and look up, far too late.

  The arrow punched into the largest, and highest level, of the three, sinking deep into its chest and spilling blood onto the grass. It recoiled, rearing its head back with a pained bleat. The other two kicked off, speeding into the thick woods by our side. I held Tessia back from jumping out to intercept. The fewer the enemies, the smaller the chance of injuries. We couldn't afford to get hurt the day of the blood moon.

  She threw an accusatory glance my way. I felt it but didn't acknowledge it. Instead, I watched intently as the second hunter sprang out from behind cover and fired a second arrow. Like the first, it tore through the air with a high-pitched scream, but this time the Whitehorn Deer was ready.

  With a swift bounce to the side, it dodged the arrow, letting it fly into the bushes no more than three paces to our left. I swallowed. That could have been bad.

  The deer lowered its head, pointing its crown at the pair of rangers even as blood seeped into the ground below its feet. A familiar ball of condensed white mana gathered between the horns. The rangers looked experienced, but judging by the fact that they were nocking new arrows, they didn't know what was coming.

  "We have to move," I barked and burst out of the woodwork. Pulling my dagger from my boot, I shouted at them, "Take cover!"

  The second hunter's eyes went wide and whipped to mine. Don't look over here, dammit!

  Grinding my teeth, I whistled and pointed at him.

  Iron dove through the sky like a heat-seeking missile. A moment later, the beam of white mana discharged with a low hum, and Iron slammed into the second hunter, tripping him to the side. It had been close, but I'd been too slow. The beam of magic slammed into the stumbling hunter's shoulder and sent him spinning into the cluster of trees from the impact. He screamed and clutched at his shoulder as Iron climbed back into the sky.

  Flipping the knife into a reverse grip, I pounced onto the deer and stabbed. It reared back to get me off, but I clung to it by holding onto its horn with my free hand as I tore open a large gash on its neck.

  Blood gushed out in thick bursts; it would be enough. I ripped the dagger back out and jumped off the deer with as much power as I could muster. The sudden force and loss of blood made its legs crumple. It tried to get back up, but its hooves slipped on the ground. It was done for.

  I wiped my dagger free from blood against my pants and sheathed it in my boot. Not too far off, the first hunter had retreated to help his ally, and at some point, Tessia had joined him. She kneeled next to the wounded man, pouring cold water on his shoulder and making him wince.

  You have defeated [Whitehorn Deer LV17]

  Skill up!

  Weapon Mastery: Knife +1

  "You good?" I asked with a low shout and made my way over.

  "He's hurt," Tessia shouted back.

  Well, no shit. He tanked a magic laser beam.

  I shook off whatever snide retort I came up with and hurried over.

  [Ranger LV5]

  [Ranger LV7]

  Another high level, I thought and inspected the wounded ranger.

  The young man sat propped up with his back against the trees, his breath was quick and short. He had a youthful blonde undercut and was quite fit. An athlete of some kind in his twenties, if I had to guess. I took a squat beside him and the others. The wound on his shoulder was a nasty one, like he'd been hit by a sizzling frying pan.

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