No rest for the warriors

Up and up they soared. Marcus clung on for dear life while the infernal creature thrashed about. One particularly violent jerk sent Marcus sprawling onto its back but the machete was lost. Falling fast, it embedded itself in the soft, mossy ground at James' feet.

James gazed up in despair as he could do nothing to help his bro. He knew Marcus would be the last to go so hid at the right moment to watch his back.

The dragon threw its body in all directions and flew far away from the valley. "We need to send out a rescue party! Anyone with strong enough stamina to keep pace with me can come!" Tarik rallied the group together and ordered the rest to clean up the destruction caused by the dragon.

James had rushed down the river and found everyone drenched just outside the bunker. It was here that Tarik caught onto his leadership role.

James volunteered to accompany Tarik too. He'd push himself to the limit just to keep up but still, Marcus had been the greatest leader ever since Marya had gone so he wouldn't give up on him until Marcus was found dead or brought back alive.

Meanwhile, Marcus flattened himself against the scaly back of his kidnapper to reduce any wind resistance as well as keep his centre of gravity anchored to the wild monstrosity.

It carried out barrel roles, loop the loops, twisting, turning, banking as steeply as it could without falling but Marcus stayed on. He grabbed its horns, its neck, any nearby spikes, even its tail at one point.

Amidst all the chaos, the dragon didn't look where it was going and didn't manage to avoid the overhanging cliff edge. Its right wing smashed into it as it tried and failed to steer away. Now it was unable to gain any altitude and was desperately trying not to spiral downwards as it glided haphazardly into the trees.

Marcus opened his eyes due to a disturbance. A sought of growl. 'Did I black out? I didn't remember the point at which I had...' Marcus became vigilant again as he realised that he was still on top of the dragon.

The poor thing's wing was completely broken and torn in places. It could take weeks for it to be able to fly again. It huffed a puff of smoke from it's bowl sized nostrils in defeat.

Realising this was Marcus' chance to finally put an end to this nightmare, he looked around for something to kill it with. Even if he felt a little pity for it, that still didn't bring back the innocents it had murdered.

Even so, the only things available seemed too cruel to kill it with. How long would bashing its skull in with a rock take? 'Too long...' Marcus thought grimly. It already looked like it was going to die. The injuries spanned across far more than just the right wing.

Suddenly, a red notification popped up. Up until now, red notifications had only signalled attacks or other bad situations. This red was somehow more crimson though. Darker. It matched the shade of the Dragon's scales. The message made Marcus go very, very still.

'Just... get it over with already.'

Was this the dragon? Or was it the system? "Uh... hello? Can you hear me?" Marcus asked tentatively.

Another notification appeared. 'Yes! Of course I can hear you! Now just end my suffering already! I admit defeat.'

"B-but why would you give up after all that?" Marcus shook slightly. How would he work his way up to killing it now?! It was more conscious than he'd first imagined.

'Surely you should have plenty of motivation to. Have you even killed a monster before?' Marcus responded with a nod after seeing those glaring eyes stare up at him. 'Then you should know how many coins you'd get from ending me here. The items would also be of legendary grade.'

Marcus didn't know where these items would come from. Whether the dragon meant from a crate or that his hide was actually extremely valuable, he had no clue. Even if Marcus knew just how much he could profit from this, it wouldn't change his attitude.

'How can I be so weak! I was fine with killing this monster before. He's taken so many lives! Why can't I...?' Marcus' thought process trailed off. The dragon gave out such a small growl of pain and sorrow.

Climbing off the dragon, Marcus used his send aid skill which had recently reached a level high enough to deliver bandages. He soothingly cleaned the dragons wounds and dressed the worst of them.

'Hey! What are you doing?! Are you thick?' The dragon shifted uncomfortably but Marcus pinned his right wing down as he bandaged the last part.

The dragon's throat rumbled in slight frustration. 'Do you expect me to serve you after saving me?'

"No," said Marcus almost instantly. "You are free to fly far away and live out your years but you will not bother us again or my will shall not be so weak next time when I have to kill you." They sat in silence for a minute as Marcus took in his surroundings. "What is your name, dragon?"

It looked intently at Marcus for a moment before finally raising its head to meet his eye level. 'My name is Tozark.' For a second, Marcus thought Tozark would try to bite his head off but the dragon curled up silently as though he'd never risen. As though Marcus had only imagined the entire conversation they'd just had.

However, before he could start finding his way back to the valley, Marcus got a series of system notifications.

'Monster class C - wolf has arrived in the vicinity.'

'Monster class C - wolf has arrived in the vicinity.'

'Monster class C - wolf has arrived in the vicinity.'

'Monster class C - wolf has ar...'

'Monster horde class B - wolf pack has surrounded you.'

Tozark roared and rose from the crash site. Marcus could spot eyes of red amongst the darkness of the trees. Their bloodlust was endless.

The system might class Tozark as a class A threat but the wolf pack had numbers like Marcus before and the dragon was not in the best shape either. Unable to fly away, due to his broken wing, Tozark had no choice but to fight. The same went for Marcus.

It wouldn't be like the battle with the zombies now. Wolves were alive and born hunters. Marcus' agility would be pushed to the limit. He no longer had his hatchet, his knife, a bow, crossbow, the machete, and he'd thrown every last spear he had. His flint spear had been thrown down when he'd grabbed the machete.

Marcus didn't have a single weapon on him.

He desperately looked around for a weapon but the best he could grab was a thick, bokken-like branch. A wolf charged him before he could come up with something better so Marcus focussed on his adversary. Swinging the stick with the force of every strength stat point he'd acquired, knocked the wolf into the dirt and then some. It did not rise.

Another dived his way but Marcus was already blocking the attack and shoving it into the ground with the stick trapped in between its teeth. He waited for it to twist back on to its belly and just as it tried to scurry back into the darkness, he punted it into a rock where it also did not move there after.

Marcus moved his body with a swift grace only obtainable during that killing calm he slipped into during a battle. Tozark fought with tooth and claw, shredding through wolves all around him. It didn't stop the one or two from landing a scratch or bite though. How long would the dragon have the strength to keep going?

One last crushing blow took out a third wolf but there wasn't much left of the stick either. Marcus' eyes widened as it dawned on him. He wasn't going to get a second to breathe. A fourth wolf leapt at him with its fangs aimed for his neck.

There were really only two choices for Marcus at this point. If he dodged then when the next wolf went for him, he'd also still have to deal with the previous one. The other choice was therefore the most appealing. He met the attack head on with his own.

Channeling all his rage into the confrontation, Marcus exploded in a sudden burst of power. Summoning a fist of fury, fire and destruction, Marcus forced it right through its snarling maw and shattered its skull. The fifth wolf made a hasty withdrawal and the rest stared at him in fear.

Marcus gazed down at his fist which was now smoking and read the system notification. 'New enhancer skill unlocked - flame fist.'