บท 15: close call

Garmond's heart pounded in his chest as he stared in horror at the massive claw hurtling toward him with terrifying speed. The Cristalian wolf, its fury ignited by the pain of its wounded eye, was beyond reason, a force of nature determined to unleash its wrath.

In his overconfidence, Garmond had underestimated the creature's strength, and now he found himself at its mercy, paralyzed with fear.

The villagers—Devine, Trevor, and the others—looked on in anguish, their faces pale with despair. They were witnessing the potential death of the very person who had fought to protect them, and their helplessness gnawed at their hearts.

Devine was particularly affected, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched Garmond face certain doom. She didn't understand why she felt so deeply connected to him in such a short time; all she knew was that the thought of losing him was unbearable.

Garmond felt cold sweat trickle down his face. *I thought I bought enough time,* he lamented inwardly. *But I failed to acknowledge just how powerful this beast truly is. What a fool I've been.*

"Guess it's death again," he muttered, closing his eyes and bracing for impact.

As each agonizing second ticked by, the shadow of the wolf loomed closer, and escape was futile. He couldn't outrun those deadly claws. With just one scratch, he would be rendered incapacitated—if he even survived at all.

Then, a flash of silver caught his indigo eyes, illuminating the darkness as a brilliant sword appeared, blocking the wolf's lethal strike just in time.

"You've done well, young soldier. I'll take it from here," a commanding voice announced.

Garmond fell back onto the ground, relief flooding through him. That brief moment of terror had felt like an eternity, and memories of his short time with the villagers flickered through his mind like lightning. There was no one he would rather hear than Darius, who had arrived just in time to save him from the jaws of death.

Darius's gaze swept over Garmond, surprise flaring in his chest as he noted that all the villagers remained intact, limbs and all. He had expected a few to be casualties; after all, they were still far from being true soldiers and had yet to be blessed with the curse.

*What is it about these villagers?* he wondered, a small smile forming on his lips as he prepared to engage the beast. *They've managed to stand their ground against a pack of hungry wolves, even injuring their leader.*

The dense fog that had engulfed the area began to dissipate, revealing the beast's massive form. With the mist cleared, Darius could see the wolf clearly, its rage palpable and its injured eye a testament to the villagers' unexpected bravery.

Dancing with the fluidity of a born warrior, Darius advanced on the wolf, sidestepping its attacks with a grace Garmond lacked in his current weakened state. He targeted the creature's joints, delivering swift strikes while dodging the deadly claws that sliced through the air like lethal whips.

The villagers watched in awe as Darius fought. His moves were precise and confident, a stark contrast to Garmond's desperate struggle. "Show off," Garmond mumbled to himself, both envious and grateful for Darius's intervention.

With each of Darius's aggressive strikes, the wolf's thick hide began to yield, its wounded eye impairing its ability to track the emerald-clad warrior. Soon, desperation took hold of the wolf; sensing its inevitable defeat, it attempted to flee. But the other Karta soldiers, having dispatched the rest of the pack, surged forward to assist their commander, surrounding the beast.

Outnumbered and outmatched, the wolf let out a ferocious howl, an ominous energy emanating from its body. Its form began to shift, claws elongating into lethal weapons, muscles bulging, transforming it into a more fearsome beast.

Its green eyes scanned the battlefield until they landed on Garmond, who still sat on the ground, gasping for breath. The wolf's gaze was intense, fixated on Garmond as if he alone were responsible for its injury.

"What?! Now I'm the one who caused the most damage?" Garmond cried out, a mix of anger and disbelief flooding through him.

Ignoring the Karta soldiers, the wolf lunged directly at Garmond, its lethal speed closing the distance in an instant. Darius, caught off guard by the creature's sudden burst of energy, realized too late that he couldn't intervene in time.

"We've come this far without any casualties; I can't afford to lose any of these kids now!" Darius thought fiercely, his aura flaring around him like a vibrant storm.

The emerald armor he wore shimmered with energy as he drew power from the very air around him, his eyes locked onto the charging beast.

Garmond felt the electric pulse of Darius's energy wash over him, a strange mixture of awe and terror coursing through him. The moment felt suspended in time, a race against fate as he faced the wolf's assault.

"Fuck all that! I have to do something!" With what little strength remained in his body, Garmond leapt toward the wolf, shocking the villagers who gasped at his reckless bravery.

"Does he want to die?" Devine exclaimed, panic bubbling in her chest. She could hardly believe Garmond would throw himself at the creature, seemingly inviting death.

As he soared through the air, Garmond aimed for the wolf's face, a fierce glint in his eyes. The wolf's claws were poised to strike, reflecting the brutal image of Garmond being torn apart.

But in that split second, the wolf had failed to notice the scythe-like blade racing toward it. "WIND SCYTHE!" Darius's voice thundered as he unleashed a powerful strike, cleanly severing the wolf's foreleg from its body.

He had intentionally targeted the arm rather than the head, intrigued by Garmond's desperate move. Darius admired bravery, even when it bordered on recklessness.

"Why didn't you kill it?!" Devine shouted at Darius, her voice thick with emotion. Fear for Garmond's life surged within her as she watched the scene unfold. She knew Darius had the strength to end it, yet he hesitated.

Taken aback by her sudden outburst, Darius felt a surge of respect for the girl's courage. Trevor, too, was surprised by his sister's fierce protectiveness over the stranger.

"Why is she so worried about that good-for-nothing?" he thought, anger boiling in his veins as he watched Garmond gamble with his life.

With Darius's support, Garmond landed atop the wolf's face, grasping the pocket knife that remained embedded in its wounded eye. He drove it deeper, stabbing again and again, blood spraying as the creature howled in agony.

To the villagers, Garmond now appeared as a bloodthirsty monster, a man possessed by the primal instinct to fight, his attire drenched in crimson as he relentlessly assaulted the dying beast.

"Shit! I'm an idiot! Its claws are going to hit me! Am I going to die again? Why the hell did I jump into this mess?!" Panic surged within him, but unbeknownst to Garmond, the wolf was already defeated.

"Relax, you idiot. The beast is dead," the voice echoed in his mind, startling him.

"Huh? It's dead? When?" Garmond asked, bewildered as he slowly withdrew his bloodied hands from the wolf's eye socket.

"Yeah, you killed it about ten minutes ago!" the voice replied, its tone casual and mocking. "Talk about a brave warrior? Who would've known he was a scaredy-cat on the inside?"

Garmond stood up, breathless and relieved, as the reality of victory settled over him. The battle had ended, and the warm rays of the sun pierced through the chilling remnants of the night, bathing him in light and warmth.

He had faced death and emerged alive, but as he looked around at the villagers—at Devine and Trevor—he realized that he had not only fought for his own life but for theirs as well.