Chapter 47 – The Murder that Fell from the Sky
Chapter 47 – The Murder that Fell from the Sky
The midday sun stood proud and golden above the fields of Heartwood, casting a warm amber glow over the swaying sea of wheat that stretched across the valley. Each stalk shimmered like spun gold in the breeze, whispering soft secrets to one another in rustling chorus. Gilbert’s farm was a patch of idyllic beauty, bordered by low stone walls and dotted with wooden scarecrows that had seen better days. Birds chirped from the edges of the windmill-dotted horizon.
It was, by all accounts, the kind of day that seemed untouchable by conflict.
Tyler stood near the edge of the field, twirling one of his twin blades idly while Milo crouched next to a row of carrots, stretching his limbs. Gilbert, the elderly NPC farmer with a straw hat almost larger than his body, stood between them with worry written deep into the creases of his face.
“It’s been three days now. They come like clockwork. First two, then ten, then more.” His voice quivered. “They’re not normal birds. Not anymore.”
[Quest Assigned: Murder of Crows]
[Objective: Protect Gilbert’s farm from a group of crows.]
[Reward: 1000 gold]
Tyler grinned, looking over the shimmering field. “A couple crows? Pfft. Easiest payday we ever made.”
Milo adjusted his armour. “Don’t underestimate them. You know how this world works.”
Gilbert hobbled away toward his barn, muttering prayers to the Creator God as he did. Then the skies shifted.
A shriek cut through the sky—sharp, piercing, unnatural.
[Enemies Identified: Reaper Crow, Level 15 x2]
Two crows dove from the clouds, wings slicing the air like daggers. Milo intercepted them with practiced ease, casting [Freeze Core] mid-air. The crows crystallized, their feathers encased in frost before shattering against the earth. Tyler gave a lazy thumbs-up.
“See? We got this.”
But Milo’s eyes were on the sky. “No… they’re just scouts.”
A distant sound began to roll across the field—a low, growing thunder. But the skies were clear. Then Tyler realized it wasn’t thunder.
It was wings.
[Enemies Identified: Reaper Crow, Level 15 x17]
A black tide poured over the horizon. Dozens of crows in perfect formation, descending like a plague. Tyler stepped forward, instinctively raising a hand.
[Activated Skill: Pois…
“Don’t!” Milo yelled. “The crops! You’ll poison the entire field!”
Tyler flinched. “Then what? We let them peck us to death?”
“Use your blades. I’ll handle the flanks. Just don’t set anything on fire, either!”
“That one fireball and you never let me forget it.”
The crows came crashing down into the wheat, claws slashing at stalks and feathers battering against armour. Tyler moved into the chaos, slicing horizontally, his blades finding their marks with precision.
“Too easy!” he barked, cutting down a pair of crows mid-air. “At this rate, you’re not getting that painting set, Milo!”
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Milo smirked faintly but focused on the incoming waves. Tyler twirled mid-swing, launching into a backflip that cleaved two more. “Come on, you oversized crows!”
But Milo wasn’t answering anymore. He was caught in a separate cluster, using [Freeze Core] to repel the waves. Tyler’s smile faded as he noticed.
[Enemies Identified: Reaper Crow, Level 15 x65]
Tyler gritted his teeth and activated [Berserk]. A crimson aura flared around him, muscles tightening, senses sharpening. He leapt into the mass, blades becoming blurs of motion, slashing and tearing through feathers and flesh. Milo fought desperately, casting [Freeze Core] and defending the crops with increasingly slower movements.
Milo shouted over the chaos, “There’s a delay! A delay after each strike from the main wave! When they pause—strike then!”
Tyler nodded, falling into rhythm. Attack. Dodge. Retreat. Return. Together, they weaved through the chaos like dancers, blades catching sunlight and black feathers alike.
But then the sky grew darker still.
It wasn’t the cloud of crows this time.
From the heart of the swirling black mass, a colossal crow emerged—a monstrosity with wings broader than any tree, its eyes glowing with an eerie crimson light that pierced the gloom.
[Enemy Identified: Harbinger Crow, Level 97]
Its caws boomed like war drums, sending tremors across the land. Gilbert’s barn splintered under the shockwave. Wheat bent and snapped under the weight of falling shadows. The sun vanished, swallowed by its shadow.
The Harbinger Crow dove toward Tyler.
Tyler responded with [Fireball], hurling multiple projectiles into its belly. It staggered mid-flight, screeching in pain, but continued soaring above the field.
Milo was cornered—back pressed against a broken fence, frost clinging to his armour, trying to hold the line.
Tyler’s mind raced. Nothing worked fast enough.
[Activated Skill: Gigantify]
He grew. Massive. The wheat flattened beneath his feet as he charged, stomping down with thunderous steps. The field quaked. A clap like the crack of lightning split the air.
He lunged and, with a two-handed blow, brought his palms together.
“GIANT’S CLAP!”
CLAP.
The Harbinger Crow was caught mid-flight.
Feathers, blood, and sinew exploded in every direction. Its body dropped like a stone, shaking the entire field.
Tyler exhaled. “Well, that wasn’t so difficult.”
But the crows kept coming.
Hundreds still swarmed the field. Milo had disappeared entirely, overwhelmed. Tyler looked around, panic flashing in his eyes.
“Milo! MILO!”
He charged forward, tearing into the crow mass, but there were too many.
“Ah! Screw it! These damn crows!”
[Activated Skill: Poison Mist]
A green fog rolled out, blanketing the battlefield. The fog spread across the golden field like a wave of death. Crows dropped mid-flight, convulsing and collapsing. Feathers rained down like black snow.
And then—light.
The corpses shimmered, disintegrating into white particles, rising gently.
Tyler stumbled through the fading mist. “Milo! Where are you?!”
He pushed aside piles of dissolving crow feathers, frantic, his eyes wide and wild.
And then he saw him.
Milo’s small frame was partially buried beneath fading corpses, illuminated by that strange white light.
“No… no no no no—”
He dropped to his knees, grabbing Milo’s shoulders. “Hey! Milo! Wake up! Come on!”
Milo’s eyes opened, dull but focused on him.
“I… guess… not fast enough…”
Tyler shook his head violently. “I should’ve just listened to you… I should not have used poison mist… I am an idiot, I did not consider that you were in the range. I was just… I was just trying to end things quickly. “
Milo smiled faintly, even as pain flickered behind his eyes. “You don’t get it… This isn’t your fault.”
Tyler cried, “No. I shouldn’t have taken this quest. I should’ve just bought you the stupid painting supplies. All of it. You could’ve painted anything you wanted.”
“You once said nobody dies a meaningless death under your watch…” Milo’s voice trembled, but his smile didn’t fade. “So… make mine count, Tyler.”
“No, don’t… don’t talk about dying.”
He coughed weakly, hand gripping Tyler’s trembling wrist. “I won’t be around to talk you down anymore. So, whatever you do next — win, lose, or destroy this messed-up world — just make sure it’s your choice.”
His gaze flickered, but held steady.
“Live like I’m still watching you… and don’t mess it up.”
A final pulse of light.
[Companion Milo (Level 63) has perished.]
Tyler froze.
Around him, silence fell.
[+250 XP]
[Level Up! Tyler Level 118 → 123]
[Achievement Unlocked: Harbinger of Silence]
[Grade: B]
[Condition: Defeat the Harbinger Crow and its Murder]
[Acquired Runestone — Raven’s Eye]
[Skill: Raven’s Eye]
[Allows the user to detect vulnerable points in enemy physiology. PE Cost: 3]
[Quest Completed: Murder of Crows]
[Reward: 1000 gold]
But none of it mattered.
The wind blew gently over the flattened field. Black feathers lay scattered like ashes over the earth.
Tyler remained kneeling.
Not as a victor.
But as a boy who had lost his brother.
---
Far from the battlefield, unseen by Tyler’s tearful gaze, a figure shifted in the dark.
A watcher.
A seer.
He had seen it all. And what he saw would change everything.
“So… the boy bleeds at last. The game begins anew.”
He stepped into shadow, and vanished.