My escape was cut off so, I turned back towards the monster. It leaped down from the ledge without even making a sound as it hit the ground. The moonlight shone through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating it as it stepped closer. It was thrice as big as a normal wolf, with a white electrified pelt and black jagged horns that arced upwards from the back of its head. Its snarls echoed through the cave, revealing its razor-sharp teeth. Not Good. I thought, taking a few steps backward. This is undoubtedly a silver wolf, one of the strongest Rank-C monsters. I wouldn't stand a chance, even with all of my mana recovered.
I glanced carefully at the other wolves who, to my surprise, were standing still, watching me closely. It appeared that they had no intention of intervening. But at the same time, they made sure to cut off all my escapes, forcing me to fight.
Gripping the hilt of my sword tightly, I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve. Then, I rushed towards it at full speed trying to get the first hit. But as soon as my sword struck its pelt, an electric current surged down the blade, causing my hand to numb and forcing me to drop it. I quickly stepped backward to create some distance between us. Yet, before I could react, the silver wolf rammed me with its head and flung me against the wall, leaving me breathless and disoriented. My entire body ached in pain as I forced myself back on my feet again, fighting for my breath. It was impossible. I could never win against it. My initial excitement faded and I frantically looked for a way to escape. But every exit was guarded by wolves. Except one. The rushing river at the end of the room was my only option. Maybe if I force all my remaining mana into my hand, I could create a gust of wind, strong enough to propel me toward it.
I watched as the silver wolf rushed at me again, relentlessly attacking me with a combination of quick slashes and bites. I could barely defend myself, let alone counterattack. Scratches appeared all over my body as I began looking for a way to escape this barrage, and I soon spotted an opening. I slid beneath the wolf towards the river while channeling almost all of my mana into my hand, creating a powerful gust of wind that rapidly propelled me toward the river. I thought that I managed to escape. But I couldn't have been more wrong. The wolf suddenly appeared right in front of me, striking me out of the air and slamming me into the ground.
My ears began to ring, my vision blurred, and my whole body ached. My excitement had long since changed to fear and despair.
The silver wolf gazed down at me, its eyes gleaming with amusement. Suddenly, it raised its paw, trying to crush me. I struggled to gather every ounce of strength remaining to dodge, but it was futile. With no strength left, I was lying there defenselessly, cursing my fate. I closed my eyes and waited for the end. But the blow never came. I quickly opened my eyes to see what was happening. And to my surprise, I saw a silhouette jump over me, striking the wolf against the head with a giant stone hammer and pushing it a few meters away.
The silhouette then landed right in front of me, throwing its hammer above its shoulder. "Heya, are you still alive?". As I focused my eyes on the silhouette it slowly transformed into a hooded figure which crouched down and extended its hand.
I was unsure who this person was, but It didn't matter right now. The only important thing was that this person just saved my life. So, I took the person's hand and slowly stood back up, getting a glance at the person's face. She had big green eyes and a small face, with a long black strand of hair peeking out from under her hood. She looked no older than me.
"Who are you?" I asked her while nervously watching the silver wolf shaking its.
The girl smirked at me. "I'm Nia, an earth mage, and I'm here to help!"
I stared at her in disbelief. I had only known Jack and Tony so far, so it was surprising to me to see someone willing to help a stranger. But knowing that I had someone to fight alongside me gave me a glimmer of hope. "Thank you." I glanced over at my sword, which lay in the center of the room. "But I'm not sure how much help I'll be. My mana is almost depleted, and the creature's electrified fur renders my sword useless."
"No worries!" The girl answered with a smile. She then stretched out her hand, conjuring a blade of stone out of the ground and handing it to me. "This should help."
She managed to conjure a sword that quickly and with no effort at all? I was impressed as I took the sword and gave it a quick test swing. It was almost perfectly balanced. But the blade itself was blunt. Well, it's better than nothing.
I took a deep breath and readied myself. "This will work."
The girl smiled. "Perfect. Let's do this!" She jumped ahead smashing the wolf's head again and again in rapid succession. I could cast no magic, so I just slipped inside its blind spot attacking its legs in an attempt to make it fall. And it worked. We managed to push it back a little bit. But as we finally pushed its back against the wall, I heard a panicked scream from Nia.
"There is something wrong! GET BACK!" She screamed as we jumped backward in opposite directions.
Its horns began to crackle with electricity as it let out a piercing howl. Then, suddenly, it shot out a thunderbolt towards me. I was too slow to dodge it, but before it hit me, a flying rock pushed me out of the way. I slammed against the ground and rolled a few meters. And after an abrupt stop, I quickly stood back up. That was close. If she hadn't saved me, I would probably be dead.
I searched for the wolf and Nia, and when I looked to my right, I saw them. The wolf tried to push Nia down while Nia blocked it with her hammer. She struggled but it didn't take long for the silver wolf to overwhelm her. It slammed Nia to the ground, crushing her beneath its paw.
I watched in horror as Nia's painful screams filled the cave. I wanted to help her, but I was frozen in place with my knees shaking in fear. I then dropped to my knees.
I knew it was impossible. I knew that we couldn't win. I looked at Nia whose resistance became weaker and weaker by the moment. Sadness and anger filled me. I blamed myself for what happened. If I hadn't fought it. Nia wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't have died for a stranger! I slammed my fist on the ground and screamed. "SHIT!"
My fist became bloody after I repeatedly slammed it into the ground. There must be something I can do! I thought. But there was nothing. I was powerless, useless, weak. Then, a familiar feeling filled my body. A mixture of despair and anger. Anger at myself for being too weak. For not being able to learn anything about myself. Suddenly a black mist shot out of my chest, engulfing not only my fist this time but my whole body. The black mist gave me strength, fueled my rage, and pulled me back up on my feet.
The silver wolf noticed my change. It stopped its attack on Nia and changed its warry gaze towards me while taking a step back, and nervously fletching its teeth.
The black mist then gathered at the tip of my stone sword, merging with it and seemingly changing its material. The rough stony texture changed to a smooth glassy jet-black surface. I ran my finger over the blade, cutting myself immediately. It's even sharper than my old one!
I pointed my sword at the silver wolf, brimming with determination. There is no way I will die here. There is no way I will let Nia die. I will survive. And I will find out about myself and why I'm here!
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