Capítulo 16: His Mercy
When they stumbled into the open air, Amel, Marik, and Irene erupted into relieved laughter. None of them noticed the dark figure hurtling toward them from behind — except John.
With his heightened vision ability, John caught the split-second glimpse of Griselda rushing at Irene with her dagger raised and aimed directly at Irene's nape. In his mind's eye, he could already see the deadly trajectory of the imminent attack. A surge of urgency flooded him, overriding all of his thought.
Without a second's hesitation, John threw his sword. The blade cut through the air with a lethal precision then embedding itself in Griselda's shoulder just as she lunged forward.
"AAARRGGH!"
Her cry of pain rang out as the force of the strike threw her off-balance and sending her tumbling to the side.
But Griselda wasn't alone. Her panther snarled seeing his owner got attacked, its eyes zeroing in on John with deadly intent. The large Beast then lunged, but before it could close the distance, Inky leapt forward like a blur of shadow and fangs then locking his jaws around the panther's neck.
With a powerful twist, Inky pinned the panther down, the shadowy wolf's snarl vibrating with a fierce protectiveness. The panther who already hurt from his fight with the gorilla Beast can't do anything much.
Miki joined the fray immediately, his claws flashing as he raked them across the panther's exposed flank, a low growl rumbling from his throat as he held his ground beside Inky. John's mind immediately realized that the little rat can be useful for sneak attacking cause its pretty fast.
Amel, Irene, and Marik spun around, their initial confusion giving way to shock as they took in the scene unfolding before them. Realization dawned in Irene's eyes as she saw Griselda writhing in pain with John's sword embedded in her shoulder.
She glanced over at John with gratitude filled her gaze.
But before she could said her thanks, Griselda's screams cut through the air, curses spilling from her lips as she clutched her wounded shoulder, her eyes blazing with fury.
"You think this is over, you coward bastards!" Griselda spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You'll pay for this, all of you!"
John took a step forward, meeting her glare head-on.
"I can ask my hound to maul you to death right now," he said, his voice steady and his eyes cold and unyielding. He really ready to kill her right now.
John took a slow and menacing step forward, his gaze fixed on Griselda with a look so cold it made her blood run icy. The usually cocksure woman felt a chill of genuine fear as she looked into his unrelenting eyes, realizing he might actually kill her here and now. Her bravado crumbled as he closed in.
Without a word, John gripped his sword's hilt and yanked it free from her shoulder with a brutal pull, sending fresh waves of pain through her. Griselda screamed again, clutching her wound as blood streamed from it.
"Don't!" Irene's voice cut through the air, stopping John in his tracks. He paused before stabbing Griselda's chest and glancing back at Irene with hard expression.
"We don't need to kill her," Irene said. Her gaze flicked between John and Griselda, visibly unsettled by what John will do.
John tilted his head, considering her words. "Are you sure?" he asked. "They'll be back. This won't be the last time they try to come after us."
Amel's eyes narrowed. "I agree with John. We should kill them here. End it for good."
But Marik, shifting uneasily, looked troubled. "I don't… I don't feel good about that," he admitted, glancing away, his expression strained.
John's shoulders relaxed a fraction. He looked back at Griselda who was still staring at him as is staring at her grim reaper, her face pale and contorted in pain.
With a begrudging sigh, John turned away, giving her one last warning. "If you ever come after us again, I won't hesitate. This mercy won't happen twice."
As he walked away, Griselda let out a shaky sigh of relief, her whole body trembling with residual terror. But John's decision wasn't entirely merciful.
Through his mental link, he sent a silent command to Miki and Inky.
"Kill the panther."
Inky pounced first then sinking his fangs into the panther's neck even deeper, tearing viciously as Miki raked his claws across its exposed belly, slicing through fur and flesh until intestines spilled onto the ground.
The panther let out a weak, despairing growl, but the onslaught was relentless. In moments, the creature lay dead with its body ravaged.
"NOOOO!" Griselda scream in anguish and pain.
As the brutal scene was done, a strange line of text appeared in John's vision:
"Your Beast [Inky] have grown stronger."
"Your Beast [Miki] have grown stronger."
He paused, unsure of what it meant but deciding to file it away for later.
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