Whoosh!
~Whoosh!
...!
The sound of arrows cutting through the air was loud, with each arrow flying straight and aimed at one specific direction.
Ember kept firing arrow after arrow at the scor‐eye wolf.
"Damn!" she muttered under her breath.
But no matter how many arrows she fired, they barely managed to scratch the beast. The wolf's thick fur and hard skin made it almost impossible for her attacks to pierce through.
The worst part was that the scor‐eye wolf was not paying attention to Ember at all. Its glowing yellow eyes remained fixed on Alden, who lay on the ground, hurt and unable to move.
At that moment, Alden could not even lift himself off the ground, as his body was too weak with blood streaming from his nose.
"Drat! It hurts so much!" Alden groaned in pain.
The good thing was that he could feel his body slowly healing, mending all the damage done to him little by little. Still, he needed time to recover before he could use his body again.
Alden was not the only one who was in poor shape—
The wolf was not in perfect shape either. Blood trickling down from its neck, where Alden had stabbed it earlier. The two daggers still stuck in the wound, making the beast uncomfortable and even more angry.
Ember was trying to distract the beast but did not work. The creature was stubborn, its clear focus remaining on finishing Alden.
"Alden, roll away from it! NOW!" Ember yelled urgently, running forward as she placed an arrow in her bow and quickly closing the distance between them to save him.
[Character healing is taking place <65% of your health restored>]
Just as the scor‐eye wolf prepared to strike Alden with its final, deadly claw.
Something unexpected happened.
A sudden blur of movement rushed in, and the wolf let out a pained howl as sharp, quick strikes hit its body. It stumbled back, confused and hurt.
Grrrr… eee… yip!
The wolf cried out, voice full of pain and fear.
It turned away from Alden and began to retreat, running back toward the forest while ignoring the attacks.
Awooooo!
Its speed increased as it tried to escape from the non-stop attacks that were too much to handle. At that moment, the wolf had given up fighting.
It wanted nothing but to survive. SURVIVAL WAS THE GOAL NOW!
Ember rushing forward, stopped running and lowered her bow, taking a deep breath as she watched the sudden change in events while the wolf tried to flee.
Standing between the wolf and Alden was Storm, with his saber drawn and his face showing no emotion.
He had been watching from the side, and when he saw that the wolf was too hard for them to handle and was about to finish Alden off, he knew it was time to step in and stop holding back.
Without giving the beast a chance to escape any further, Storm moved quickly with his smooth footwork, his speed more than enough to catch up to the wolf.
As soon as he got close, without hesitation, he began to unleash strong strikes on the beast from different directions, with each saber slash cutting deep into the scor‐eye flesh and forcing it to back off.
The wolf, now covered in its own blood, growled in fear and pain as it weakened, its body reaching its limit.
It was clear that the beast was no match for Storm, barely able to counterattack with victory already within reach.
Splash! Splash!
Storm raised his saber to block the wolf's attack, as it suddenly turned to lunge at him with frightening speed, its fangs snapping just inches from his neck.
He managed to move away in a swift motion, creating a short gap between them. Storm's eyes narrowed as he studied the beast.
There was a clear change in the wolf's actions; it suddenly stopped retreating and began attacking.
Another clear change was that its yellow eyes had turned completely red.
Right away, Storm knew what it meant.
It was a sign that the wolf had entered its berserk state.
Awooooo!
There came the ear-splitting cry of the beast as Storm leaped back, gripping his saber while the wolf swiped wildly. Its attacks were no longer predictable but more like reckless strikes.
Storm met the wolf's charge head-on.
Using the experience he had gained in many battles, he shifted to the side, avoiding the attack and countering the vicious claw swipe with his saber.
Storm launched several attacks on the wolf.
The beast began to fight back wildly, ignoring the saber cuts that landed on its body.
It was no longer trying to defend itself.
...!
It was as if it had lost all sense of reason, attacking wildly without caring about its own wounds.
"Sh*t!" Alden muttered, realizing that the beast was no longer feeling pain. The dagger wounds, the splashes from Storm's powerful strikes—none of it mattered anymore.
Alden, still feeling weak but slowly getting his strength back, felt uneasy when he saw the wolf's red eyes turn back toward him.
"No, no, in its current state the wolf's scent of blood will increase and it will go for that," "Alden, get out of the way right now!" Ember shouted urgently, her hands trembling as she saw the wolf turn toward Alden. "The beast is on its last leg! It has gone berserk, and its bloodthirst has grown!"
Seeing this, Alden, still on the ground, tried to drag himself away. The healing process was still ongoing and needed more time.
"I'm not ready to die just yet," Alden panicked as he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to move despite the pain his body was undergoing.
With its glowing red eyes locked on him and filled with raw anger and total rage, it dove toward Alden.
Luckily just in time, Storm caught up again, blocking its path with his saber.
The clash was fierce, and the wolf's wild attacks forced Storm to defend carefully. He could not afford to make any mistake now.
Zara was about to step in but Darian's hand stopped her.
"Don't interrupt. Let him handle it," Darian said calmly. "He needs to sharpen his skills too."
Zara nodded slightly and stayed where she was.
Storm and the wolf exchanged blows, their attacks fast, each aiming to finish the other.
This time Storm fought with full focus. Every move was sharp, every strike was powerful. The fight had changed because he was no longer holding back.
Then out of nowhere, another figure emerged. It was not just anyone; it was an exact copy of Storm—a perfect clone who looked just like him.
Together, the two Storms began to attack the beast from different sides, their sabers flashing with strong strikes.
The wolf, now confused, snarled as it was not sure which one was the real target. Yet it continued its frenzied and wild attacks.
Even with the clone's help, the beast was tough. It broke free from Storm's reach and charged at Alden, its red eyes glowing with rage.
Storm leaped after it, his saber slicing as he kept up the pressure.
At that moment, Alden, who had been lying on the ground, pushed himself to his feet as his body began to feel re-energized again.
"I need to make the final kill..." he screamed in his heart.
Seeing his sword a few feet away, he dove for it, his fingers closing around the hilt.
With determination on his face, he seized the opportunity as Storm was fighting the beast and he slid toward it.
When he was close enough, he jumped at it and with one well-planned strike, his blade landed on the wolf's neck.
In a clean sword arc, the wolf's neck was half cut, nearly separating it from the body.
Without stopping, Alden stood his ground and quickly struck again.
The sword pierced the wolf's skull with a final, pitiful whine, and the beast collapsed to the rough ground lifeless.