Shadows Over Arcadia Chapter 17: 17. D-Rank Couple

Read chapter 17 of Shadows Over Arcadia by Zacheas on NovelPedia.

17. D-Rank Couple I am Shadow, 2 arcs old, a metal golem enchanted with a portion of Prince Ren Drakemore’s soul, and I am an adventurer. https://shadowsoverarcadia.com/api/storage/objects/uploads/51f2eb33-199c-4126-a5b5-1bea5c8fc16a Thundering hooves pound the ground as five massive razor boars charge us. Each one is a half-ton of muscle, standing four feet tall on four stocky legs, with razor-sharp tusks jutting from their lower jaws. The ground trembles beneath their hammering steps as they barrel through the farmer’s field. Fifty feet. Thirty feet. Ten feet. CRASH! All five boars slam into my mana barrier with a force that shatters bones in a cacophony of sickening cracks. Their massive bodies crumple against the transparent shield, brought to an abrupt stop. Compressed against the barrier, they slide lifelessly to the ground in a heap. Two of the boars twitch, their dying brains firing off erratic signals in telltale death throes, while the remaining three struggle, disoriented, to get back on their feet. Their shattered bones make their bodies look twisted and deformed grotesquely. Before the beasts can rise, three rapid twangs crack from behind me as Maribel’s miniature arm-mounted crossbow looses a volley of venom-tipped bolts. The projectiles whistle past, striking the injured beasts. The wounds are shallow, but the venom works, causing the boars to thrash in agony. Blood pours from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths as they let out guttural roars of terror and pain. Within moments, they collapse, taking their final shuddering breaths. “Your barriers are really strong,” Maribel remarks, her tone impressed as she reloads her crossbow. “Thanks. I sort of specialize in defensive magic,” I reply, drawing my skinning knife from my belt. “You took them out with one spell,” she says, pulling out her own knife and approaching one of the fallen beasts. “And you found them right away… again.” It’s too early to tell her about the bird puppets scouting for me. "My magic lets me sense targets from far away," I say, which isn’t a lie. However, it was Ren’s hummingbird puppet, tirelessly circling above us, that pinpointed the boars before we arrived. In addition to warning us of threats, that scout ensures Maribel and I never waste valuable time searching for our targets. Kneeling by one of the carcasses, I set to work. I press the blade into its thick hide to make the initial cuts around the legs. The first cut should go just above the joint of each leg. I slide the knife in, but the blade moves too easily. The skin pulls apart under elastic tension, and my blade slips upward, carving too deep. “Stop!” Maribel says urgently, leaning over my shoulder. “You’re cutting it wrong, Master Shadow.” “I know. Sorry,” I reply in frustration, pulling the knife free. “I know where to cut, but without tactile sensation, it’s hard to do delicate work like this." “You can’t feel anything?” Maribel asks, kneeling beside me. "No. Nothing," I admit with a sigh. "Feeling used to remind me I was alive, that this was real. Without it… without the warmth of the sun or the wind on my face, I feel trapped. Like I’m caught in limbo between life and death." Maribel hesitates, then rests a tentative hand on my shoulder. "That sounds terrible," she says softly. For a moment, the only sound is the breeze whispering through the tall wheat stalks around us. I shift the blade, preparing to attempt the cut again. "Here," Maribel says gently, breaking the silence. "Let me handle the skinning. If you do it, we won’t get the full price for the pelts." “I’m sorry,” I say, feeling embarrassed. “Sorry for what?” Maribel scoffs, a sly grin tugging at her lips. “I’m just glad there’s something you actually need me for. Celestia knows you didn’t need me to kill them.” She sets to work skinning the boars with the practiced ease of an expert hunter. Thanks to Huckleberry, Buttercup, and the wagon, we’re able to take not only their pelts but also a large portion of their mea