The Soul Keeper

"It's pretty." Rina said quietly. I nodded. Alex stretched and walked a bit ahead. "So, why are not with them?" She asked as she turned towards me. I had to avoid her tail as she tried to trip me with it.

"Well," I mumbled as Rina finally took her place between me and Alex. "Erik and the others are drunk."

After chatting with Rina and Alexa, Samantha had dragged me back to the group, who were a bit tipsy at the time. Soon afterwards, everyone – including Samantha – had gotten drunk. Thankfully, Rina had seen my pain as I tried to keep everyone in check and dragged me out here.

"Very drunk." Rina added with a sigh. "Seriously, even Samantha is completely out of it." She facepalmed, her disappointment was very clear.

"I tried to stop them but…" My voice faded. They hadn't listened to me at all. "Oh well, there's nothing to be done about it." I said as I pushed my hair back and enjoyed the cool night breeze.

"You've got that right." Alex said with a smile. "So, Kai." Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "What do you think about some late night monster hunting?"

I hesitated. I had only met these two a couple hours ago. Was it really safe to be going out with them? Besides not completely trusting them yet, I also was worried about Delthur and Vixia showing up. I really wanted to avoid ever seeing them again.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to do that during the day?" I asked after a moment's hesitation. I didn't want to outright decline her offer. She didn't seem like a bad person.

"Well, if being safe is your only goal, yes." Rina summoned her status panel. I gasped as I saw her level.

'Rina Woods – Level 52 Wizard'

She was just so much stronger than me. I'd never be able to guess by just looking at her. Laughter sounded from inside the tavern as I stared at her in disbelief.

"You know staring is rude, right?" Alex said with a playful tone. I felt something sweep my legs off the ground. I fell on my back with a loud thud. "Gotcha!" She grinned. "You let your guard down."

"I guess I did." I got back on my feet and stretched, trying to get rid of this annoying ache on my back. "Anyways, sorry." I said to Rina. "I didn't mean to stare; I was just a little surprised."

"It's fine. We're probably one of the highest levelled people around, so I don't blame you." She smiled, then started walking towards the edge of the town. "I'll tell you how we did it if you help us out with this."

Alex was quick to follow Rina. I rushed after them as well. I wanted to know how they got so powerful so quickly.

As we arrived at the edge of town, I faint screeches sounded from the northern woods. While I couldn't see as well as in daylight, the bright moon still illuminated our surroundings plenty.

"What are we hunting?" I asked as we watched the woods.

"A bird type creature." Rina explained as Alex led the way. "It's been terrorising the Ereth in the surrounding area. We've found out it's nest, but we can't get close enough."

I raised my eyebrows. "How so?"

"Well, it's nest is atop that cliff." Alex pointed to the north, where a massive cliff rose. It was unnatural. It was the only elevated place on this side of the mountains. It looked as if someone just pushed the ground up from underneath with a long stick.

"I know it looks weird." Rina said as she saw my confusion. "It's not a natural occurrence. Apparently, many years ago some mage made that place and even intended to build a castle on top."

"That's… unique." I mumbled. How powerful would someone have to be to have the ability to change the topography to this degree?

"Lacks taste if you ask me." Alex grumbled. "And it's done nothing but cause us more issues."

"How so?" They still hadn't gotten to the part of the story where they needed my help.

"Well, we were able to climb about halfway through." Rina explained. "But there is a gap that we can't cross. If we fall, we'll surely die." She shivered. "If we had one more person with us, we might have been able to make it."

"Speaking of," Alex said as a sword materialised in her hands. "We have company."

I looked up, to see several large birds dive towards us. Their sharp talons reflected the moonlight.

"Uh, I can't see." Rina mumbled. "Can you take care of them Alex?"

The snake lady nodded as she prepared to slash the first creature. I summoned my skills panel and used 'Dark Bolt'. Moments later, all the birds were dead. I shivered as their souls melted into my chest. I was never going to get used to this feeling.

"I didn't know you were a wizard!" Alex shouted in surprise.

"He's not." Rina said with a deadpan expression. "Am I right, Keeper of Souls?"

I flinched. "Uh, well…"

"She is right!" Alex shouted again. Her tail coiled around my shoulders. "I thought that was a myth!" I tried to move away, but she'd caught me off guard again. Was I losing my edge lately? Or was I just relaxed because they were so friendly?

"Apparently not." Rina's emotionless voice sounded as she shook her head. "What the hell are you even doing here, Keeper?"

I quickly raised my hands in protest. "No, wait." I glanced at Alex; whose eyes shone in the dark like a pair of fireflies. "First of, yes – I'm a Soul Keeper. But what do you mean by what I'm doing here?"

Both women looked at each other, then Rina sighed again. "I'll explain later." She glanced at the moon. "We should take care of the bird before it gets cloudy."

I motioned to protest, but Alex's tail effectively put a stop to my efforts as she dragged me along. "Come on," I grumbled as I finally found my footing and freed myself from her tail. "Can't you tell me at least a little?"

"No."

Alex laughed as my shoulders dropped in defeat. "Fine," I grumbled. "Why do you need a third person?"

"You see," Rina explained. "There is this really large gap. Let me tell you the plan…"