Chapter 6: Chapter 6 - Backup
The break in their relentless attacks had allowed the wolf to recover just enough to stand again. But it didn’t rush back into the fight.
Arthur cursed under his breath when he realized what it was about to do.
The beast threw back its head and howled. The sound shook the trees, reverberating through everything, and not a moment after, was a reply. A symphony of howls from somewhere in the distance.
Arthur cursed under his breath, his eyes suddenly glowing a bright white as he looked towards where the howls came from, "Five More. Closing in fast!"
"Damn it all!" shouted Gerard, "Kill this one before we’re swarmed, Freya!"
Freya’s face hardened, and then she moved.
A red blur. That’s all I saw before the wolf’s head fell to the floor, separated from its body.
She... was holding back?
Then, she appeared right next to me, her green eyes drilling into me, "Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, boy. If you fuck with my team’s safety again, I will kill you. "
I gulped.
"I- I am sorry. I did not mean to---"
Branches snapped. Leaves shivered. I looked over to the left as growls filled the area. The pack had arrived.
I looked back up at Freya, who’s eyes never left me, still analyzing, still studying.
But then, they softened, and she held out her hand, "I know. But your recklessness could have cost our lives. The rest of us won’t heal like you do."
I took her hand, and she pulled me up with ease.
And as she did so, she asked, "Your healing, does it have any limits?"
"Not that I know of."
Her expression brightened a little, "Then maybe we can use that."
Understanding flooded my mind. Even if I wasn’t as strong as them, even if I couldn’t fight back, I could take far greater risks than any of them. I could bait. Distract. Delay.
I looked over to the trembling brush, and five similar looking wolves, each as tall as the first and each of their maws salivating in hunger.
Arthur’s knuckles whitened on his bow, "All five... Tremor-Class."
Gerard swore.
Even Freya’s jaw clenched. "We can’t take all five."
"I can hold them," I said. My voice was calm, still foreign to me. "Three of them."
Gerard looked like he was about to protest, but before he could stop me, I ran.
Arthur understood quickly, firing streams of arrows above me to cover my charge and distract two of them.
The world faded around me as my vision tunneled. One singular purpose.
Hold them back.
The first wolf leapt, and its jaws closed around my arm. Flesh tore, bone cracked. Pain flared, then the Gift mended. I drove my shoulder into its chest, pushing it back best I could.
[Host’s [Pierce Resistance] has increased significantly]
[Host’s [Impact Resistance] has increased slightly.]
The second hit me from the side, claws raking across my ribs.
[Host’s [Slash Resistance] has increased significantly.]
The third slammed into my back, dragging me down, but as I fell, I watched Gerard and Freya expertly kite two of the wolves away from the three that were tearing into me.
Teeth pierced, claws ripped, bones snapped. Again and again.
And again and again, I healed.
[Host’s [Pierce Resistance] has increased significantly : x3]
[Host’s [Slash Resistance] has increased significantly : x3]
I was flung like a rag, crushed under weight, smashed into trees. But I rose each time, broken body piecing itself back together, as I rushed back in.
[Host’s [Impact Resistance] has increased slightly : x3]
[Host’s [Pierce Resistance] has increased significantly : x3]
[Host’s [Slash Resistance] has increased significantly : x3]
The wolves did not stop. And neither did I.
[The Skill [Slash Resistance IV] has been upgraded to [Slash Resistance V] ]
Even though my resistances were steadily increasing, it made no difference to the wolves. Their raw power combined with the unnatural sharpness of the claws and teeth made it so the increasing toughness of my skin was nigh negligible.
From the corner of my vision, I watched the party of Hunters. Freya, Gerard, and Arthur. They wasted no time. They struck as one, driving their blades and arrows into the wolves with perfect synchrony. Gerard’s axe split limbs in half. Arthur’s arrows pinned them to the ground and guided the fight straight into Freya’s embrace. Her sabers danced with blinding speed, carving death in whirling arcs of steel
They were strong. Stronger than I imagined. Not just muscle, but speed, precision, force. Every strike carried something more. Mana, the system called it, a power I did not yet possess.
Freya’s movements burned into my mind most of all. She flowed between blades and blood, each swing fast enough to blur, each cut certain. I thought of my own body, of my regeneration.
Would it be able to to keep up if she really wanted to kill me? What would happen if I was beheaded? Would I be able to recover from that?
That thought lingered even as the wolves dragged me down yet again.
[The Skill [Pierce Resistance V] has been upgraded to [Pierce Resistance VI] ]
[The Skill [Slash Resistance V] has been upgraded to [Slash Resistance VI] ]
Gerard’s cleave split the last of their two wolves, blood spraying wide, prompting Freya to move again, this time in a blur towards me.
I was on my knees, chest crushed, ribs knitting again as the wolves circled me, clearly confused by my unnatural regeneration.
"Move!" Freya shouted.
I did, and in she flew.
Arthur’s arrow streaked past my head, striking one in the jaw. Gerard slammed into another, axe biting deep. Freya blurred into the third.
I fell back, after gaining some distance, breathing hard, bones aching with every knit. My body healed, but the exhaustion was almost crippling.
I could only watch from that point forth.
They fought, and fought, Freya’s speed and power was overwhelming but the real star of the show was her sheer precision, timing and coordination. That was what made the battle look so easy.
Before long, the three hunters had all three of the Gorge-wolves lying dead in a pile of chopped up appendages.
Silence followed.
The three of them turned to me, clearly studying me.
Surprisingly, Arthur was the first to speak, an appreciative smile spreading across his face, "You know you’re crazy right?"
I wasn’t sure how to react to that statement, but that same feeling felt like it was bubbling up inside me, the feeling that made me want to laugh.
Freya nodded at me in approval, and Gerard chuckled, "Borderline psychotic, I say. Even with that kind of regeneration, who in their right mind willingly puts themselves through a mauling like that! I’m sure it was fucking hell while you waited."
A smile finally broke out on my face, "It was...alright."
"It was fucking ridiculous, is what it was, boy! Be a little more proud of yourself."
I nodded slowly.
Freya clapped a hand on Gerard’s shoulder, "We better get moving again. We’ve only just entered this place, and there’s still a ways to go till we get to the Gorge-Beetle territories."
Then she looked over to me again, "When we first ventured in I was happy to let you watch from the sidelines, but you’ve proven yourself useful. You can still watch if you like, but if you wish to fight alongside us, I’m going to need you to follow my commands."
She walked towards me, motioning back at the two men.
"Gerard and Arthur already know the patterns in and out, which is why you don’t hear me shouting about, but with you in the mix, things will become a little different. So..."
She paused, coming to a stop right in front of me.
"...Ya in or ya out?"
I looked at her and the two men behind her.
She added, "I’ll give ya a share of the spoils too."
I didn’t need any more convincing, but whatever these spoils she spoke of were, they sounded desirable.
"I... am in."