Dangerous situation

Whoosh!

~Whoosh!

...!

The sound of arrows slicing through the air echoed loudly, each arrow flying with precision and directed toward one particular direction.

Ember continuously fires arrow after arrow at the scor‐eye wolf.

"Damn!" she muttered under her breath.

But no matter how many arrows she shot, they barely managed to scratch the beast. The wolf's thick fur and tough skin made it nearly impossible for her attacks to penetrate.

Worst part, the scor‐eye wolf wasn't even paying attention to Ember. Its glowing yellow eyes were locked on Alden, who was lying on the ground, injured and unable to move.

At that moment, Alden couldn't even lift himself off the ground. His bones ached with pain, and blood streamed steadily down 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 dealt to him bit by bit. Still, he needed time to recover.

Alden wasn't the only one in poor shape—

The wolf wasn't in perfect shape either. Blood was trickling down from its neck where Alden had stabbed it earlier. The two daggers were still stuck in the wound, making the beast uncomfortable and more furious.

Ember was trying to distract the beast, but it wasn't working. The beast was stubborn, its unbreakable focus remaining on finishing Alden.

"Alden, try to roll away from it! NOW!" Ember yelled urgently, running forward while nocking an arrow into her bow as she rapidly reduced the distance between them.

[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 painful howl as sharp, quick strikes hit its body. It stumbled back, confused and hurt.

Grrrr… eee… yip!

The wolf cried out, its voice filled with 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 the relentless attacks that were becoming too much to handle. The wolf had given up fighting; now it just wanted to survive.

Ember rushing forward, stopped running and lowered her bow, taking a deep breath as she observed the sudden change of events while watching the wolf trying to flee.

Standing between the wolf and Alden was Storm, his saber drawn and his face expressionless.

He had been watching from the sideline and when he saw that the wolf was too difficult for the two to handle—about to finish off Alden—he knew it was time to step in and no longer stay back.

Without giving the beast the chance to escape any further, Storm moved quickly, his speed more than enough to catch up to the wolf.

He unleashed powerful strikes from different directions, not holding back. Each of his saber slashes cut deep into the scor‐eye flesh, forcing the beast 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 obvious that the beast was no match for Storm, barely even able to counterattack, with victory already within reach.

Splash! Splash!

Storm barely managed to dodge as the wolf turned to lunge at him with terrifying speed, its fangs snapping just inches away from his neck.

Staying a short distance away, Storm's eyes narrowed as he studied the beast.

There was a change in the wolf's actions; it stopped retreating and turned to face Storm.

Another noticeable change was that the yellow eyes had turned completely red.

He knew what it meant.

It was a sign that it had entered its berserk state.

Awooooo!

Came the ear‐splitting beast cry as Storm leaped back, gripping his saber as the wolf swiped wildly, its attacks no longer predictable.

Storm met the wolf's charge head‐on.

With experience gained from several battles, he moved to the side, avoiding the attack and counterattacking the vicious swipe of claws with his saber.

Storm launched several attacks on the wolf.

The beast began to fight back crazily, 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 madly without caring for its own injuries.

"Sh*t!" Alden muttered, realizing the beast was no longer feeling pain. The dagger wounds, the splashes from Storm's powerful strike—none of it mattered anymore.

Alden, still feeling weak but slowly regaining his strength, felt uneasy when he saw the wolf's red eyes turn back on him.

"Alden, get out of the way right now!" Ember shouted urgently with her hands trembling. "The beast is on its last leg! It's gone berserk!"

Seeing this, Alden, still on the ground, tried to drag himself away. The healing was still working but still needed time. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to move despite the pain.

With its glowing red eyes locked on him and filled with primal anger and complete rage, it dived toward Alden.

On time, Storm caught up again, blocking its path with his saber.

The clash was fierce, the wolf's wild attacks forcing Storm to defend carefully. He couldn't afford to make a mistake now.

Zara was about to step in, but Darian's hand stopped her.

"Don't. 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, aimed to finish off the other.

This time Storm fought with full focus. Every move sharp, every strike powerful. The fight had changed as he was no longer holding back.

Then out of nowhere, another figure emerged. It wasn't just anyone; it was an exact replica of Storm—a perfect clone looking just like him.

Together, the two Storms attacked the beast from different sides, their sabers flashing with powerful strikes.

The wolf now confused, snarled as it was unsure which one was the real target to focus on. Yet, it continued its frenzied attacks, its move still wild.

Even with the clone's help, the beast was tough for him. It broke free from Storm's range 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.

"I need to take the last kill..." he screamed in his heart.

Spotting his sword a few feet away, he dove for it, his fingers closing around the hilt.

Then with a smile, he seized the opportunity as Storm was fighting against it and he slid toward the beast.

When he was close enough, he jumped up against it and with a single, well-planned strike, his blade landed in the wolf's neck.

In a clean sword arc, the wolf's neck was half cut off, nearly slicing it off.

Without stopping, Alden stood his ground as he quickly struck again.

The sword pierced through the wolf's skull with a final, pitiful whine the beast collapsed to the ground lifeless.

'As expected,' Alden immediately smiled.