[Level Up]

  Suna was dripping wet, and droplets of water trickled down near the Banshee’s dead body. He sat down, letting out a heavy huff. In his hand was his Marrow bow; he finally found it. And he managed to recover about ten arrows—nowhere near enough to recover both of his quivers.

  He began summoning his Saproot arrows. The vein arrow, now that he looked at it again, was intimidating. It held like a certain promise, the way it had its own vein that thrummed lightly as Suna caressed his thumb on it. He eagerly put them in his quiver, and most of them, especially in his Grave Vine Quiver.

  Reaching out to the Banshee's gaping neck, he started to harvest its Rune. What greeted Suna was, however, quite an ordinary one; it was a bit bigger than the others, but otherwise nothing special. He cracked it.

  [Rune of Arcanery]

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level: 31 → 32.

  Class: [Archer]

  Rune: 121 → 122

  Feat: 16

  Mana: 5721/7250 → 5721/7800

  Class Skill (13/15)

  - Archer Sense [Common]

  - Archer Backstep [Common]

  - Mana Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Moving Shot [Uncommon]

  - Flint Draw [Uncommon]

  - Arcane String [Uncommon]

  - Bow of Wind [Uncommon]

  - Spell String Mastery [Rare]

  - Hissing Volley [Rare]

  - Drill Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Still Form [Uncommon]

  - Flame Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Saproot Arrow [Rare]

  General Skill (10/15)

  - Quick Draw [Common]

  - Drowfication [Rare]

  - Rune Seeker [Uncommon]

  - Gale Step [Uncommon]

  - Air pocket [Common]

  - Heat Sense [Common]

  - Enchanced Sense [Uncommon]

  - Enduring Body [Uncommon]

  - Battle Focus [Common]

  - Eagle Eyes {Uncommon}

  Strength: 925 → 929

  Dexterity: 812 →815

  Vitality: 655 → 659

  Arcanery: 725 → 780

  Sense: 615 → 618

  Maybe the theory about it being the leadership position determining one's runes was correct after all. Also, Suna couldn’t help but notice there were a lot of Arcanery runes among the undead. And he could remember somewhere that one of his skills or pieces of equipment mentioned that [Necromancers] created undead by infusing them with a huge amount of mana. That could be the reason why so many possessed Arcanery runes.

  He looked around, now covered by the thick mist again. Suna drew his Flame Arrow using the Bow of Wind. He quite liked this combination; his Arcane String channeled the power of wind into his Flame Arrow, through Spell String Mastery. And with passive skills supporting it, this would be quite a powerful spell. He wanted to practice Flint Draw with it.

  Suna continued his exploration through this mist-shrouded cave; he silently wished to encounter an undead. His eagerness and desire to know what happened to the humans pushed him forward. The longer Suna walked, the more his excitement was replaced with worry.

  Bodies of the undead littered the ground. A Gargoyle was split into two, its green blood mixing with the clear blue lake, making it look like a child messing around in science class. The all-familiar rot lingered. Suna pressed on, cold sweat trickling down his neck, urging him forward.

  The deeper he went, the more Gargoyle bodies he saw, many of them charred. Arrows were stuck in some; He also noticed some corpses with their arrows removed.

  This was not an ‘X’ area, he was sure of it. The area should be to his left, maybe in another ten minutes or so. This was clearly where the humans had been fighting, and Slea had killed many here.

  Around him were rocks, with some bigger than his own body, offering plenty of space to take cover. Suna went behind one that bordered the lake. Behind it lay the body of a Banshee, dead with a serious gash across her dress.

  They even faced some of these Banshees?

  He inspected the corpses; their runes had been taken. Suna went around to inspect the Gargoyles' corpses; each of them had a chest wound made hastily with reckless stabbing.

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  Good, they consumed them.

  As Suna moved from one rock to another, he finally found something. In the middle of the rock formation, there was a spiky rock that had a Banshee head atop it, gruesomely displayed atop it.

  Did they do this?

  Maybe Slea had lost her mind.

  However, it turned out to be a signal… Etched into the rough rock was a message.

  Go Forward. To Look for Thiefmaster. We found some surviving Tieflings and chased the prisoner wagon, now – Slea. Everyone alive.

  A weight on his shoulder lifted; it was a weight that had been following him, and he hadn't realized it until now. Suna let out a deep breath and shook his head.

  Could’ve used more information, Slea. Suna thought to himself.

  Five Mana Potions and Health Potions were below, tucked into a pouch. Suna retrieved it and tucked it into his cloak’s pouch sewn.

  The reason there weren't many undead after him, even after all the sound he made fighting the Banshee, was that the humans had killed most of them here. In a way, he might have been saved because of that; this also meant no Pyrebone Archer was chasing them.

  But that didn’t mean it wasn’t chasing them still.

  Suna looked back again at where he came from.

  What if the Pyrebone Archer went to flank them from behind? Or the Tieflings… That would be deadly.

  He needed to do something about it, but was he strong enough?

  Doubt crept into his mind; it was insane to think of, but still, he wanted to kill that skeleton. Thinking back, he was subconsciously controlling the skeleton’s blue flame from consuming himself with Brimhat’s help. It was a great advantage he hadn’t even considered in his panic.

  Suna leaned against the stone and sank. He tapped his foot and made his decision.

  --

  It probably took about thirty minutes or so to get back into the small earth path that led to the big island he was currently standing on. His heart was pulsing, around him were Undead Flesh Soldiers he had taken down, each of them with a vine wrapped around their neck.

  Some still struggled, but Suna ignored them. Their cries were in vain as he waited. He waited and waited—he sat with a huge rock formation to his back, sliding one of his legs over another— Suna closed his eyes.

  He felt the cold vapor caress his skin; it was comfortable, and Suna lost himself in it. But then, something inside of him tingled.

  His Archer Sense.

  They prodded him, telling him something was coming, then they began to stir, as if they had just woken up from a twelve-hour sleep. His senses screamed, and Suna's eyes went wide open.

  It wasn’t just Suna’s Archer Sense, but also his Enhanced Sense and Heat Sense.

  He tilted his head, and a bluish arrow crashed into the stone where his head was, breaking it into a crumpling heap.

  Pebble pattered down, coloring the silence.

  Bluish arrow whispered at his ear—lodged at the cracked stone, their heat laughing at him, telling him that he was mad, mocking his sanity. And for once, Suna might have agreed.

  With his Eagle Eye, he finally saw the blue flame, which was the Pyrebone Archer’s bow and head.

  Its eyes emitted bluish fog.

  And dark fur nested around its ribcage, which glowed with dim blue.

  The Pyrebone Archer did not give a greeting or recognition; instead, it just drew again and released an arrow. The air hissed in silent cries.

  Suna had drawn a flaming arrow. He ducked the Pyrebone Archer’s arrow and stepped lightly to his left, ignoring the sound of breaking stone. Wind flowed to his Flame Arrow, and Suna Flint Drew it. The tail of flame whisked away. Then he released it.

  It was like watching a distant shooting star—beautiful yet held so much power of a radiant beauty of death.

  His arrow flew forward, streaking forward with incredible force, burning the surrounding air into a mirage, and charring the ground beneath him.

  The Pyrebone had released another arrow that it had been charging with blue flame for a couple of seconds; the flame also burst, and shot straight at Suna’s tailed arrow. Two arrows clashed, flames hissing against each other—they passed by. However, by the time the bluish flame arrow reached Suna, it was already weak.

  Suna, with his brimhat, banished the flames, blocking it with his Bow of Wind, not intending to lose his advantage from his passive skills.

  His arrow had lost some of its power. The Pyrebone burst into a bluish flame and disintegrated Suna’s arrow.

  So, it had that kind of defense mechanism; getting close was not wise then.

  Unless it's necessary.

  Before the Pyrebone Archer could draw again, Suna managed to shoot first. His arrow was full of light and red fire trailing behind it, this time.

  Mana Arrow zipped, splitting the air.

  The Pyrebone Archer, its body still covered in bluish flame, whisked left in the blink of an eye.

  Suna's eyes widened, and another bluish arrow was launched toward him. Suna summoned his Flame Arrow, not intending to lose out; he released it in less than two seconds. That was slow; if it were a physical arrow, he could double it.

  But, at the very last moment, he managed to maintain his position, and his arrow got stronger. Hissing Volley and Still Form activated.

  Both of his arrows blazed through the bluish flame, passing through it as their energies clashed.

  Suna blocked the now normal, almost pathetic arrow with a casual slap of the bow.

  The Pyrebone Archer decided to dodge again.

  Instead of firing away, Suna observed. His eagle eyes opened wide.

  The flame… The bluish flame blazed to the Pyrebone Archer’s left, pushing its entire body to the right like a propeller.

  His arrow went through; it lit up the narrow, dark cave where he had nearly died to the Pyrebone’s arrow.

  That skill was powerful, sure, but the flame surrounding its body weakened every time it used the flames as a shield or a propeller. So Suna would have to work around that. He kept firing, obliterating the Pyrebone Archer’s arrows over and over, and he grew faster at summoning his arrows. Now he could launch about five in two seconds.

  The Undead pushed itself right, dodging a tailed arrow. It still had its flaming bow up as it kept dodging, which was probably the most unfair part of that ability. The Pyrebone skidded to the left as it dodged another one and released. Suna Archer Sense screamed, and Suna saw it used all of its flames in this arrow.

  Suna quickly manifested more flame arrows, and Flint Drew them. Goosebumps prickled his skin;

  Faster.

  Faster.

  He released.

  Manifest again, Flint Drew, then released again.

  Two streaking arrows rushed through, and Suna realized he could draw a third one.

  Both of his arrows clashed against the Pyrebone’s own arrow; Suna’s first was bludgeoned aside, and the second also was crushed into searing ashes. Suna's eyes focused on the approaching blue arrow. His mind was on it. Then commanding it with his gaze, Suna flicked the flame; it veered sideways, barely passing Suna’s throat.

  He let out a shuddering breath.

  That was close.

  Another arrow was approaching, and his Archer's Sense screamed a warning.

  That was fast—another one of these powerful arrows so soon?

  Suna prepared to control it with his Brimhat, but instead, he saw a normal arrow, already poised to pierce his chest.

  It connected, and Suna groaned from the sudden impact. He stepped back. The force pushed him back. His golden chainmail absorbed the hit, Suna drew the arrow out, and only a little blood marred its arrowhead, but otherwise, he had no problem… until he realized the impact had forced him to move.

  Suna let out a wry smile, annoyance creeping in to the point he gave a small laugh at the skeleton.

  The Undead just canceled his passive skill’s effect.

  The Pyrebone Archer tilted its head, raised its skeletal hand, and a bluish flame danced atop it.

  Was that a taunt?

  It could be, the undead recognized that Suna’s arrows had become more powerful and faster to create.

  In one fluid motion, a bluish flame flared around the undead like a blazing flare. It coalesced into its arrow, a great gathering of power.

  The Pyrebone Archer raised its bow and fired.

  Suna's eyes glinted. Let's see if it likes its own medicine.

  He tapped the ground and propped himself up, launching himself over the searing arrow.

  The Pyrebone’s skull rose, clearly not expecting this move. Suna drew mid-air—this time with his Sootroot arrow—and he fired away.