It is obvious this griffon has sight skills that get around my Light Manipulation. If it squawks all the griffons will be on me again. It is a bit awkward with Tāwai tied on my front, but I get out Brightlance, as spears are better for large beasts. I need to cripple its flight and run.

  It doesn’t give me any more time as it snaps its wings in a quick flap, driving it forward faster than anything has attacked me yet. My Basic Spear technique is telling me to get the fuck out of its way. I Dodge right and Thrust Brightlance at it without a lot of hope of hitting anything.

  The beak snaps on empty air, which is a good outcome. Brightlance strikes a feathered wing, but it is glancing, and I only dislodge a few feathers. However, I don’t stay to do more. I Enhanced a Jump down as the griffon let out a loud squawk of frustration at missing me.

  This Tactical Map might be the only thing that gives us a chance. Instead of leaping into the unknown, I can plan and land on something. I can also keep heading in the direction of the gate out of here, as I don’t even think both squads working together will kill enough griffons.

  I land and roll. Sorry, Tāwai. Then, Jump again, and this time, I had my timing right and landed on a griffon's back spear first. Brightlance lodged in thick shoulder muscles, but it stopped when it hit the bone. I hung on tight as the flying griffon wrenched me sideways, and the spear almost came loose.

  I let out a Soundless Stun, which seemed to do nothing. The griffon let out a shrill squawk, and the wing caught me on the upflap and knocked me away. Not even the Sure-grip in my glove was enough to hang on. I fell and used a short burst of Light Speed to reach a thin branch, but it was too weak and broke.

  I fell slower, and I saw Brightlance fall away from the griffon. There is no way of retrieving it. I am guessing it is going to be a treasure for another hunter to find. That really disappointed me, but I had two incoming griffons to avoid.

  This time, I drew the sword Shadowbane. It is soul-bound, so it will return if I drop it. I burst Light Speed to get away from a beak and in the way of the second griffon. Shadowbane cut deep with Longslash, and the wing lost feathers and was damaged enough to disrupt its flight. Longslash was relatively cheap to use, and stamina was used instead of mana. I need all my mana for Light Speed.

  I tumbled away from the passing wounded griffon and crashed through another branch. I stabbed Shadowbane into the wood of a passing branch to stop my fall. It only worked because of Feather Fall and the sure-grip in my gloves.

  Copy Me continued to fall and was stabbed with claws and a beak. I couldn’t keep up. I don’t know how many griffons were after me, but it was a lot. In the small gap, I climbed to the next branch and checked my main Map. I was not even halfway to the Base Camp.

  I climbed up onto the branch and froze. A griffon was staring right at me. I didn’t hesitate and Charged it. Its wings flared out, and it rose on its hind legs as claws and beak struck out towards me. At the last minute, I dived low under the griffon's attack and struck at the softer belly area. The fur was still tough and hard to penetrate, but Shadowbane cut deep in one area, and the griffon would not be breeding again.

  The griffon released an Excruciating Screech that was many times more powerful than Tāwai’s. My head rang, and I stumbled and slipped off the branch. The griffon dived after me for revenge.

  Wings would be great right now. The only way I could control my fall speed was by turning Feather Fall on and off, and the only way I could change my direction was Light Speed. I spun in my fall with Acrobatics and Cat Reflexes and thrust my feet against the diving griffon. My weakened leg was also the one with the damaged boot, and the sure-grip enchantment failed, causing it to slip. My other leg caught, and I pushed off to the side, but not where or as fast as I wanted to go. The griffon's wings clipped me, and I tumbled off to the side, all control gone. It was better than the claws and beak, but not by much.

  I searched the tactical map for something within Light Speed distance, but what I saw was angry griffons diving at me.

  I burst Light Speed upward, and the nearest griffon went beneath me. I tried landing on it, but my leg gave way again, and I tumbled off. The griffon flared its wings to come around at me again, but another varied its dive to snap at me.

  I nearly avoided the beak with acrobatics, getting my leg out of the way and a slam on Feather Fall, so I was not as low as the griffon expected I would be. But the beak clamped onto my ankle. I Shadow Phased my leg. I was trying not to use that skill as it is high mana use, but I would probably have lost my foot otherwise.

  I was still falling with little control.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  The bad part of the tactical Map was that I knew the branch was coming fast, but neither Acrobatics nor Cat Reflexes could save me from a crash that would break many bones, even my toughened ones. It was like my death was coming at me in slow motion.

  I barely twisted so Tāwai didn’t land first, and then the branch hit, but it didn’t hurt. It was like my speed dropped suddenly, and I managed to grab the branch. Tāwai was awake and got an Air Cushion between me and the branch.

  “Thanks,” I huffed as I swung my one good leg up and did a one-legged Enhanced Jump toward another branch. Tāwai twisted under my jacket so he could see better, but he wasn’t flying anywhere with a broken wing.

  However, his Air Manipulation gave me better manoeuvrability even if he couldn’t make me fly. Coordinating our skills was not easy, and we overshot the branch as Tāwai didn’t account for my Feather Fall.

  I found I could share my Tactical Map with Tāwai. I don’t know if it was that we were bonded or if I could do it with a party or anybody. I really need to read the description sometime.

  Tāwai fired a Wind Blade and made a griffon swerve. Then he burst a Gust under us, raising our trajectory, and another griffon went under us. I have to remember that fighting in three dimensions is Tāwai’s speciality.

  The griffon wings buffeted us, and I said, “Stop.” He stopped all skills, trusting me, and I used Light Speed to get us to a branch we could land on. Light Speed was something totally new to the griffons, and they were not used to it.

  Unfortunately, they were getting used to it. I rolled away down the branch and then took off in a limping Dash. I created three Death Darts, and Tāwai shot them at a griffon with small Gusts, trying to make it dodge. It just ignored the darts, and I was the one Dodging. The Darts are not going to do anything. I had a feeling they were too small and would not penetrate past the feathers and hide.

  I dove off the branch with an Enhanced Jump, jumping horizontally. I was still working my way to the base camp, or more specifically, the gate out. I was done with this trial. One problem with heading to the gate was that I was starting to get dangerously low, and I had no upward movement. Enhanced Jump and Climb were it. If I got too low, I was going to be a sitting duck climbing back up to it.

  Climb is close to maxing out as it has been in almost constant use, but it is still slow. I need to stay above the level of the Gate if I can.

  Some of my wounds closed as Tāwai used his Heal Wound on me. It wouldn’t fix his wing, though.

  A griffon landed on the branch behind us, and I could feel it chasing us on the four lions' paws. I dropped a Flash Ward, and when it went off, I dropped off the side of the branch with Copy Me still running on it. I fooled it for a couple of seconds. I assume then its eyes readjusted.

  A second Copy was falling as I clung to the underside of the branch, wishing I had Rob's suction pads. The griffon took the bait and dove after the second copy. I tried to get back on the branch, but a griffon came at me from the side.

  I really feel like my Spectral Cloak is only there for my comfort. The griffons see right through it.

  I dropped before a beak impaled me. Claws shredded armour and skin instead and I was tumbling again. The tumbling stopped as Tāwai got us under control. Then I had a bad idea. A thought crossed my mind that this might be as bad an idea as the hornbills, but it was too late. I saw, and I did.

  I Light Speed and then stabbed down violently with a Thrust of Shadowbane. My arms were almost yanked out of their sockets as the griffon I landed on kept flying. It protested loudly at the sword stabbed in its back and then tried to dislodge us.

  The griffon was not as acrobatic as Tāwai, but it was doing its best. I was not going to last long. My legs were dragging behind in the tail feathers, but I could not get a grip around the griffon with them, which meant my Bronc Riding was not a lot of help.

  “Up,” I said to Tāwai, and he seemed to understand we needed height. Tāwai knew which feathers to Gust to get the griffon to gain height.

  However, I was falling a few seconds later as the Griffon rolled right over. Other griffons were converging on us, and I Light Speed to a branch.

  The griffons had been getting used to Light Speed. However, I only had the mana for a couple left, and a Stamina potion was more important right now.

  A griffon had anticipated where I was going, and I was halfway through the potion when claws and a beak appeared in my vision. Then, two arrows sprouted from its chest, and they had gone deep. Some high-level skills at work there.

  I was in the process of dropping on my bum as my only dodging method, but the griffon Screeched and changed targets.

  I scrambled to my feet, and my Observant Eye recognised a human shape in the foliage carrying a bow. I Enhanced Jumped in that direction. I was still Limp-Dashing when Suda appeared from the foliage. She had her bow with her.

  “The Lieutenant and Zeek are leading them away, but there are too many, and they are too high-levelled. We are using the exit. Pok is getting base camp moving.” She looked at me as I skulled a Health potion and then a weak mana potion. “You wouldn’t know what stirred them up, would you?”

  “They ambushed me,” I said half truthfully.

  She looked like she only half believed me. “The Sarge is in charge. The Lieutenant, Zeek and I are rear guard. Go.”

  She raised her bow, and I turned and ran. I think my thieving still needs some work.