Kiting Tactics

Whoosh!

Fabian sprang nimbly from the dense woods, clad in close-fitting leather armor and wielding a dagger in each hand.

He touched down on his toes and shot several yards forward, as light as if he weighed nothing.

Behind him, the others could now clearly hear heavy breathing and a low, slurred voice speaking the common tongue: "Food..."

"Food's getting away..."

A moment later, the owners of those voices burst from the woods.

One behind the other, two hulking Boarfolk leaped into Rain's view.

It was the first time Rain had seen living Boarfolk outside a monster bestiary.

They stood about six feet tall, but their stocky, powerful builds made them two sizes larger than a sturdy ordinary man.

Their thick bristles, arms as broad as a grown man's thighs, and huge wooden mallets made one thing clear: they would not be easy to handle.

"Get ready, Rain," Leia murmured beside him.

"Right!"

Rain nodded and focused at once.

Seconds later, just as the two Boarfolk reached the patch of wet earth—

Hiss!

A blue-white beam, slightly thicker than a thumb, blasted from Rain's hand and struck the soaked ground ahead!

Though they were humanoid, Boarfolk were far smarter than Goblins. Their muttered, indistinct words in the common tongue had made that much clear.

When a spell suddenly shot out of the trees to one side, both Boarfolk sensed something was wrong and immediately began to slow down.

But they were already too close to the wet ground to stop.

Worse, the patch of white ice was spreading rapidly.

Thud! Thud!

The two burly Boarfolk slipped on the sudden sheet of ice and fell one after the other.

"Well done, Rain!" Leia exclaimed.

She released the bowstring she had drawn to its limit, her arrow already aimed.

With a whoosh, Rain saw a special arrow with an unusually thick shaft streak toward a Boarfolk that had just struggled to its feet on the ice.

Thwack!

Leia had taken her time aiming, and the arrow struck the unsteady Boarfolk squarely. Its unusual design drove it several inches deep into the creature's broad chest!

"Aaagh!" the Boarfolk screamed.

Rain narrowed his eyes.

He was studying the wound the arrow had left.

During the wagon ride here, he had learned that Leia's greatbow had a draw weight of nearly a hundred and fifty pounds. He also knew she had mastered a Combat Technique called Aimed Shot.

Yet even an Aimed Shot from such a powerful bow had failed to punch through the creature and kill it outright.

That showed just how dense Boarfolk muscle was, and how tough their bodies were.

If the targets had been ordinary Goblins, Leia's arrow might have gone through three of them.

Even so, that shot had hurt the Boarfolk terribly!

The wounded Boarfolk seemed utterly enraged. Its yellow eyes turned red, and after a furious howl, it snapped off the arrow and charged recklessly toward Leia.

The other Boarfolk had meant to follow its companion and go after Leia too, but the moment it stood, it cried out again and again.

Three fletchingless crossbow bolts protruded from its face and the part of its chest near its neck.

Chris and the other two had fired them.

Seeing that their captain had drawn away the first Boarfolk's attention, they had immediately joined forces against the second.

So far, the fight was unfolding step by step according to plan.

Now the four of them, Rain included, needed to kill the Boarfolk in front of them as quickly as possible.

Even though Rain wanted its bloodline, and even though his spear gave him reach, he was not about to charge a raging Boarfolk with his shield raised.

Still, he envied Chris and Grand. Like him, they were warriors-in-training, but they could afford expensive hand crossbows.

He had glimpsed one in a weapons shop. Its price tag read eighteen silver coins—far more than he could afford.

For now, Rain cautiously closed in alongside Chris and the others.

Fabian had coated their crossbow bolts with poison beforehand. As time passed, the balance of the fight would undoubtedly tip in their favor.

But they still had to help their captain, Leia, so they could not take too long.

Otherwise, they could have waited for the poison to spread through the Boarfolk's body and reach its full effect. The fight would have been much easier then.

Whoosh!

Fabian fired another bolt. At such close range, it struck the Boarfolk squarely in the neck.

The hit made it scream.

Shnk!

Chris seized the chance to thrust his longsword into the Boarfolk's right side. His blade slipped neatly between its ribs.

But the creature's dense bristles, thick hide, and hard muscle slowed the blade's point.

"Aaagh!"

The increasingly furious Boarfolk brought its huge wooden mallet crashing down at Chris!

Bang!

Chris jerked up his shield to block, but the instant it struck, he staggered back two steps as though jolted by lightning!

His flushed face made it clear that, despite putting all his strength into the block, he had barely withstood the raging Boarfolk's blow.

The Boarfolk raised its mallet again, intent on pressing its advantage.

Rain was about to rush in to help when Grand darted forward first and caught the descending mallet on his iron round shield with all his might.

At the same time, Fabian darted about behind the Boarfolk, stabbing with his daggers.

Rain, on the other side, grew anxious.

He needed to deal most of the damage to this Boarfolk, but at this rate, that looked doubtful.

So despite the creature's rank stench and ear-splitting squeals, Rain dropped his shield, gripped his spear with both hands, and drove it toward the side of its neck with all his strength.

"Graaagh!"

Even though the spearpoint struck its vulnerable neck, Rain could feel the resistance through the shaft.

He threw more force behind it. The point pierced thick hide and muscle and drove deeper, sending a fresh surge of bright red blood gushing out!

Rain's thrust was vicious. The spear drove up through the Boarfolk's neck almost to its skull, drawing a final, mournful cry from it!

As if worried that one thrust had not done enough, Rain pulled back his spear and stabbed again. He struck three more times in quick succession.

Fabian and the other two stared. This Apprentice Mage is a little brutal!

When the Boarfolk collapsed, Rain nervously glanced at the system's translucent sixteen-slot inventory. A glowing image appeared and quickly sharpened.

It showed a powerful Boarfolk with jutting tusks and bristles standing on end.

"Phew..." Rain let out a long breath.

Thank goodness. Boarfolk bloodline, acquired!

A weight lifted from Rain's heart, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Just as he began to relax—

"Raaagh!"

A piercing roar from deep in the woods made Rain jolt.

Huh?

Another Boarfolk?

The others looked startled too, and all turned toward the trees.

But unlike the dying wail of the Boarfolk just now, this roar grew rapidly closer. It was deeper and more powerful, brimming with fury and strength.