Escape, Fight and Game

I woke up early. It was our third day traveling through the forest. Despite being morning, the dense canopy of trees kept the environment dark. As always, Diana woke up before everyone else and was already preparing tea. I clasped my hands together and blew into them to warm them up. After yesterday's incident, nothing else happened during the night. The animals had calmed down, which was a relief.

The others began to wake up and prepare to continue the journey. Shortly after, Talia woke up screaming in terror, and Marco quickly tried to calm her down. When she finally settled, she looked at her leg in disbelief. I think she felt the same thing I had felt, as if her instincts insisted the wound was still there, but there was nothing, no pain. It was truly a strange sensation.

Marco explained to her what had happened the previous day, and her eyes widened as she listened. Then, she came to me and thanked me profusely, just like Clarice did. Marco insisted that Talia go back with him, but she refused; she was determined to see this through to the end. Lucas gave up and didn't want to continue, and Edrian allowed him to return with one of the horses.

After preparing ourselves, we moved forward. Unlike the previous days, the group was visibly tense, fearing the appearance of another monster. A few hours later, near midday, I remained alert, cautiously observing the surroundings until Talia approached me.

"Saito, I want to thank you again for saving my life."

"I already told you, you don't need to. I just got rid of a monster that was in my way."

"Even so, thank you. You must be really skilled to have defeated that monster. I've trained my whole life, and yet I couldn't do anything." She lowered her gaze with a melancholic smile.

"Why do you want to go all the way to the end?"

"My father was an incredible knight, always willing to help others. I loved listening to his stories, and that's how I decided to follow the same path. Unfortunately, he died on a mission before I could go with him."

"So you decided to take on this risky mission just to help others?"

"Yes. Just like Edrian and Diana, I can't let those people starve to death. I'm sure my father would have done the same."

Hmm… Are these people really here to help, and not just for the money?

Soon after, Edrian approached with a serious expression.

"Saito, do you think we'll encounter more of those creatures?"

"It's hard to say. They're more active at night."

"Then we should camp in safer places, surrounded by trees, and improve our watch."

"Yeah."

"Let's hope that was the only one."

If it was just that one monster, fine. But if we're attacked again at night, it could be dangerous. Someone might end up dead. My gaze shifted to Clarice, who was in the cart. I still felt uneasy about her coming with me, as if a strange premonition was trying to warn me about something. But if I asked her to go back, she would insist on staying. Maybe it was a mistake to tell her everything yesterday.

The bigger problem would be if we were attacked in broad daylight, and if they came in a pack. If that happened, it could only mean…

In the next instant, the horse and the mule began to thrash violently. Elias tried to hold onto the horse but was thrown off, and the animal bolted away. Clarice almost fell from the cart, but Otto, with the help of the others, managed to steady the mule.

My heart pounded, and anxiety started consuming me as my eyes scanned the surroundings for any sign of danger. It could only mean another monster. Looking up at the hill, it appeared, baring its sharp fangs. And it wasn't alone. Others emerged by its side. This was bad. Really bad.

"Everyone, get ready to fight!" Edrian ordered, his voice trembling.

Everyone drew their swords, shaking with fear. There was no choice: if I fought, I wouldn't be able to protect the others. There was only one option. I threw my backpack to the ground and dashed toward them.

"Saito, what are you doing?!" Talia called out.

I ignored her and kept moving, determined, eyes locked on the monsters. When I got close, I stopped a little ahead of them with my arms open.

"What's the matter, you ugly things? Looking for food? Then come and get it!"

The monsters roared and charged at me. Without hesitation, I sprinted away from the group, luring them in a safe direction. If I could draw them away, the others wouldn't be in danger.

I ran at full speed through the trees, skillfully dodging roots. However, the creatures were even faster. A quick glance back confirmed there were five of them. I kept going until I reached a point far from everyone else. It was now or never.

When the first one got close, I launched my wires at a tree ahead, securing them to a high branch. Using the momentum from my sprint, I pulled my body upward, flipped through the air, and came down hard, delivering a devastating punch with my left arm to the head of the nearest creature. The impact crushed its skull against the ground.

The second monster leaped at me, but with a swift movement, I jumped over it, dodging and wrapping my wires around its body. Before it could hit the ground, I pulled the wires tight, tearing it apart. My breathing was heavy from the run, but I had to stay focused. I took a deep breath, adjusted my stance, and prepared for the next enemy.

Two more charged fiercely. The first one lunged at me, baring its fangs. Instinctively, I raised my left arm to defend myself. The impact was so strong that its fangs shattered. The second, right behind it, attempted to slash at me with its claws, but I used the first creature against it, hurling it with force. Both crashed into a tree.

Seizing the opportunity, I dashed forward and, with a powerful kick from my left leg, smashed one of their heads against the trunk, shattering it. The other managed to dodge to the side.

Two left. One in front of me, the other behind. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the one ahead, and charged. It did the same. The moment it was about to reach me, I sidestepped and threw my wires around it. Then, I yanked it toward me and delivered a crushing punch to its stomach, destroying its organs. Its legs gave out, and it collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.

It writhed, trying to get up, but failed. Without hesitation, I stomped on its head, crushing its skull. Calmly, I lifted my gaze to the last survivor. It remained still, perhaps assessing me, perhaps overcome with fear. A faint smile curled my lips.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?"

Hearing my words, it lunged. I stood motionless, smiling. As soon as it jumped at me, mouth wide open, I didn't move an inch, I had already set everything up. The moment its mouth neared me, a sudden cut appeared. The creature was sliced in half, its remains flying past me, splattering blood all over my body. I had placed a wire in front of me.

I looked around, ensuring there were no more enemies. It seemed like they were the only ones. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I got out unscathed this time, but real battles were nothing like my training with Haldan. The best thing to do now was to return and check if the others were safe. With that decision, I started walking.

A little farther ahead, as I passed a large tree, I heard the clinking of a coin being tossed. Turning my head, I spotted a man sitting on a log, a sword resting beside him. He was flipping a coin into the air and catching it repeatedly, seemingly lost in thought.

"I wasn't wrong. You're incredible, you took down my babies with ease."

"Who are you?"

"How about we play a game?"

"A game?"

"I'll toss this coin. If it lands on heads, I'll let you and your friends go. But if it lands on tails, we'll have to play."

He flicked the coin into the air, spinning rapidly. As it fell before his face, he caught it in his right hand and placed it over his left. A manic grin spread across his lips. That's when I noticed something on his hand, the same one flipping the coin, a ring with a gleaming red stone.

Damn it, I knew it! He's one of them… a Corrupted.