My boots pounding on the wet earth echoed through the forest as the pain burned in every part of my body. The blood was warm in my veins, but the weakness that spread like a shadow told me the opposite. With every step, I felt the weight of my own body dragging me to the ground, but I couldn't stop. Not now.
I heard the roar of Rolsvince approaching, the sound of footsteps behind me getting closer and closer. Goro was some distance away, but his presence was like a shadow that wouldn't leave me. I couldn't run away forever.
Ding!
The sound of Rolsvince's sword clashing against mine made the ground shake beneath my feet. Sparks flew in all directions. I tried to stand up, but the force of the impact made me wobble. He was stronger than I had imagined, faster too. A trickle of blood ran out of my mouth as I blocked the blow, and the muscles in my left arm no longer seemed to respond as they had before. But, for some reason, I didn't retreat.
Gresy was behind me, throwing knives with precision, but my legs were no longer strong enough to dodge as before. The blades cut through the air near me, but I could barely move to dodge.
The smell of sweat and blood mixed with the damp forest ground was nauseating. Not only was my physique betraying me, but my mind was also starting to fail. I could feel my heart beating faster and more uncontrollably, a warning that I didn't have much more time. But deep down, I knew I couldn't fall. Not yet.
Goro changed position. He moved fast, faster than I expected, and his axe cut through the air with a deafening roar. The blade came from an angle I couldn't anticipate.
BANG!
The axe didn't hit me, but the pain of dodging made my body double over in pain. However, the gap in my movement was enough for me to turn and step sideways. The blow that Goro had tried to throw at me hit the void, but in the same split second, I was able to react.
With my remaining strength, I hit Goro in the chest with a dry kick. The man screamed, his body was thrown backwards, and the sound of the impact against the ground was like eerie music. He was on the ground, breathing hard, spitting blood. It was obvious that he was no longer in any condition to fight. But I knew that wasn't enough.
As Goro dragged himself up, trying to regain his posture, Rolsvince was already on my tail again. He was like a shadow that wouldn't go away. Every step he took reached me faster than I wanted it to. The pain I felt in my amputated arm was intense and constant, but it was the growing cold sensation in my chest that worried me. The loss of blood was slowly killing me.
Then, without hesitation, Rolsvince advanced again. He was coming too fast, the sound of his boots hitting the ground echoing in my ears. And behind him, Goro's axe was coming at me with the force of a bear.
Ding!
Rolsvince's blade crashed into mine again, but this time I managed to dodge a little more. The impact made me stumble, but I resisted. I hadn't fallen yet, I hadn't given up. My right arm swung with a brutal effort, and the sword sliced through the air, making Rolsvince block, but not enough. The impact of my blade against his caused him to stumble to the side, his body spinning out of control.
The advantage of physical strength was no longer with me. I was losing. The feeling of dizziness was overwhelming me, and at some point, I knew that everything I had done would be in vain if I didn't find a way to end it.
But my mind was clear. I couldn't lose.
I was on the edge, but I wouldn't back down.
Before I could say anything, I was interrupted as Gresy's body moved in a flash. She leapt forward, muscles tense, and threw three black daggers in my direction with a precision that could tear through any armor. She was light, fast, but at a moment like that, none of that scared me.
I looked at the blades slicing through the air, but my mind was far from there. Something wasn't right, not just with her or the others, but with the situation itself. I knew the end was near.
How will you survive in this world alone? The question echoed in my head, like a crushing weight that made my thoughts scatter as Gresy's eyes burned with anger. She didn't know that her fight was about to end.
DING!!!
It was as if time had stopped for a second. The daggers froze in the air in front of me, floating slowly as if the space around me was being distorted. A transparent ripple spread through the room, like a delicate circle of light that seemed to dance, but disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. No sound. No movement. The air was heavy, the strangeness of this occurrence almost making me dizzy. I looked around, but the environment was empty of explanations.
My muscles were tense, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. I knew I had to act. Without hesitation, I advanced, leaning my body forward, my sword moving with almost instinctive precision.
The sword sliced through the air. They stepped back, wary, but they couldn't have predicted what was to come. My arm lunged towards Gresy, and when the blade hit her chest, she barely had time to defend herself. The pain exploded in her expression, but she didn't have the strength to scream.
I stepped on her waist, pulling out my sword with one swift movement, as if her life was just a leaf being plucked from a tree. Blood splattered on the ground, and the sound of her breathing was gone, leaving only heavy silence.
"I'm going to take very good care of your children... If my boy hasn't killed them by now..." The phrase escaped my lips without thinking, a wry smile appearing on my face as I watched his eyes close, unable to utter a word, his blood rushing out with every attempt.
The scene was cold, but somehow something in me regretted it. I didn't want this to happen, but there was something inside me that couldn't stop.
I looked at the other two. Rolsvince was falling apart. Blood flowed freely from his body, and his movements were heavy. Goro, on the other hand, was completely out of action, his attempt at a fight now a distant memory. Even if they escaped, their lives would never be the same. Goro would no longer be able to fight in the same way. I knew that.
And then, like a whisper from the shadows, a voice said something that made me stop for a moment:
(You need to get back quickly. Eliminate them both quickly. Your son has gone mad and is causing a bloodbath...)
I swung my sword in the air. The blade cut the ground, leaving a trail of blood that seemed to spread like ink. The truth was that I felt nothing but growing tension, a sense that the weight of all this was yet to come.
I was almost feeling sorry for my friend's family. They had fallen victim to a circumstance they hadn't asked for. It wasn't easy to escape when you provoked a Commander-level archer. These warriors weren't necessarily stronger, but their value wasn't measured by strength alone. They had a unique ability: they were easy to kill, as long as they had a bow and arrows. No wonder those like him were feared. They could strike at any time, and their targets rarely made it out alive.
And I knew that this story, sad as it was, would not end well for everyone. There was still more blood to be shed.