My scream alerted the three in front of me of the incoming danger, with Lucie and Larry being quickest to whirl around in the brief moment it took for the werewolf to bound across the small camp before it barrelled into Tristan, sending him flying into the cart with a loud thud and a scream of pain. Larry managed to step out of the way and draw his sword as the werewolf barely slowed in its charge, hurtling at Lucie who was standing right next to me. A moment of hesitation as she looked in my direction cost her precious time, and her hand grasping for the sword that was not in her sheath caused a look of panic to spread across her face. I only got to see it for a split second as the next I was sent tumbling backward off the cart from the impact of the werewolf slamming its arms outward into the cart and Lucie. In the brief moment of airtime, I witnessed Lucie soaring through the air before I impacted into the hard dirt ground with the back of my head. My vision briefly turned white from pain and I lay there briefly till it eased up. In the meanwhile, I heard a howl of pain as well as grunts, followed by what sounded like a loud splash of water and I felt droplets spray everywhere.
I sat myself up, head pounding and feeling dizzy, just in time to witness Lucie slowly drifting to the ground with her arms held out toward the fighting. Dragging myself to peer around the cart and get a better look at what was going on, I saw the werewolf completely drenched and with a large scorched stab wound on its lower right back. It was baring down on Larry who was breathing hard as he made a slow retreat while defending with his sword, which was glowing red hot. It seemed to be an effective deterrent as the werewolf was eyeing it cautiously while trying to circle around to keep Lucie in view. She was not keeping idle however and kept herself positioned behind its back, albeit at a considerable distance.
Tristan meanwhile was splayed on the ground next to the cart, gripping his side with one arm while the other lay at an awkward angle broken above the elbow. Groans and grunts of pain were unceasing as he struggled for breath.
Qubit was floating around me at the edge of my vision as if waiting for instruction. I briefly wondered if I could get Tristan to safety within Qubit's storage space but did not want to test it out on a person.
"Aim the rocks on the werewolf" At my command I watched its glowing shape start to slowly rise up into the air but did not wait.
My head was already feeling much better thanks to my vampire nature and I eyed the sword still sheathed at Tristan's hip. It probably would not be much use to me in a fight but I could get it to Lucie who was fighting unarmed. I got to my feet to close the short distance before crouching down to drag out the sword. This caused another yell of pain as I had to slightly shift him to pull it out and I saw tears in his eyes but he did not complain as he watched me.
The werewolf suddenly decided to shift its cautionary tactic as it saw me seemingly intending to join the fray, grabbing the red hot glowing sword in a firm grip, yanking Larry forward before thrusting its other arm into his gut. This, however, did not yield its desired outcome as Larry barely moved from the impact, catching it by surprise as he let go of his sword and tightly gipped the werewolf's arm with his own. What came next was a loud yelp of pain from the beast akin to that of a dog as it tossed the sword aside and started striking Larry to no avail, every punch from what looked like a bark-covered hand being absorbed.
I realized I had been transfixed for a moment when it seemed Larry was done for but seeing the werewolf growing desperate in its struggle to shake him off gave me hope. I saw Qubit floating directly above the werewolf but constantly shifting back and forth in an attempt to keep up with the flailing struggle below.
"Drop it!" I yelled, hoping it would not hit Larry, and started running toward Lucie.
This seemed to alert the werewolf that something was happening, but before it could figure out what, a pressurized stream of water originating from Lucie's outstretched arms struck it in the head the moment it looked over in my direction, staggering it. Next, as the glow of the rock materializing faded, gravity took hold and a sickening crunch was heard from its right shoulder blade where it impacted before falling to the ground. It lurched forward from the blow, its arm falling limp prompting Larry to let go and scramble away from the howling beast.
I held out the handle to Lucie as soon as I got close. She grabbed it immediately and started running forward. The werewolf was not finished yet as it met her charge with its own, only for her to leap up high into the air and out of reach, almost as if she was on the moon. The werewolf stopped as it turned its head upward to follow but a torrent of water erupted from the tip of her sword which pointed directly down at it, obscuring her from its sight. The next moment as if gravity was turned back to normal she plunged down and drove her sword into the back of its neck. It was unfortunately not deep enough to finish it as its fur seemed to turn into bark just moments before the impact, absorbing much of the blow but not all.
Lucie kicked off of its back and lightly floated to the ground to stand between it and her two companions, sword at the ready but seemingly shortened. I was left alone and exposed but as its gaze darted between me and her, it started to back off before turning tail and making a run for it.
I slumped down and dropped onto the grass in relief as its shape received in the direction of the forest and village, its right arm swindling limply at its side. I could not help but smile at the victory but it quickly faded as I saw Lucie running to her companions.
Tristan was still in much the same shape and position as earlier, albeit quieter. Larry, however, had at some point joined him on the ground as he leaned his back against the cart's wheel, nursing his right flank as well. Lucie first tended to Tristan who was definitely in worse shape from the unexpected attack from behind, undoubtedly with broken ribs along with the arm that slammed into the cart when he was thrown.
Qubit slowly made its way from up high to my side after reaching its operational limit from attempting to follow the werewolf. I got up to see if there was anything I could help with but got distracted by flames that seemed to have started in the grass. I hurriedly made my way over to discover the once red hot sword to be the cause and quickly grabbed a shirt from Qubit to put it out with a good few whacks before I could grab the hilt. It turned out to be heavily padded but still warm, although it might be normal for hilts as I was not very familiar with swords.
I approached the trio and went over to Larry first to hand him back his sword.
"Thanks. You saved my ass." He said in between heavy breaths. "Not sure how much longer I could have held on. Cooked its arm quite thoroughly though."
"She brought it here in the first place!" The strained voice from Tristan made me look down in guilt at it was true, even if unintentional.
"Mate, don't be a prick. We came here to find it anyway."
"But it found us instead!"
"Could you both stop bickering just once? I'm not asking you to get along but what's done is done. It won't change anything and you both need rest. Now, I'm no expert, but I don't think any of either of your injuries are permanent."
"Of fucking course they aren't permanent"
"I'm just trying to stay positive. I'll get you a splint for your arm and we will move you to the cart as soon as Larry recovers. We'll have Nick look you over when we get back just in case."
"If you are hoping to get back soon, no chance. That things so beat up we must finish the job before it legs it to find more victims to recover off of." Larry then turned to me. "Sorry miss, but a job's a job. Wouldn't want to drag ya in but if you could conjure some rocks for me when the time comes, the help would be greatly appreciated."
"Larry, I know it's the right thing to do but if it gets even one of us it's over for the rest. It's too much of a risk with us two and I don't want to drag her in if she doesn't want to."
"Then let us have her decide." Larry flashed me a big, cheesy grin. "How about it?"
"I don't get a say in this? Because I say we get the hell out of here."
"You will be laying in the cart either way lighthouse. Those doing the fighting get to vote."
Tristan was about to return but got shut up by Lucie's glare, which got redirected to Larry as he was about to say something.
"Fine." Lucie conceded after mulling it over briefly. "But to make it clear, Tristan gets to vote like everyone else. I'll abstain this time so we don't tie."
"What difference does that even make?!"
"Sorry to put this pressure on ya, and if you want to retreat from the fighting we will honor your decision. Lucie is right that this is a risk but I think we have a solid shot at it, as long as ya help us."
After listening to them arguing for a while now, I grew more confident in being able to speak their language but still treaded the waters carefully.
"I have... some questions first." Larry and Lucie both nodded for me to go on. "How far is it where you came from?"
"Arenol? Two days journey at the rate we will be going."
This news soured my mood as I hoped it being closer would solve the issue of having to choose.
"When would we set off?"
"As soon as the sun comes up. We don't want it sneaking up on us again."
This was troublesome as I had no clue how to tell them I had to avoid sunlight. It would be rather obvious if they knew about vampires and I did not know how they were treated if they did. Asking outright might also tip them off. The alternative was heading back on my own right now and facing the wrath of the werewolf. There was only one way forward I could think of and had a great idea on how to get them on board, as risky as it was.
"We can't wait. We have to go now. I'll fight as well if it helps!" I tried to make myself sound and seem distressed, hoping that my sudden urgency would not make them suspicious.
"Why now?" It was Lucie that asked.
"It captured a girl and is keeping her alive. For food, I think. It broke her ankles so she couldn't get away and I wasn't strong enough to carry her."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Larry pushed himself to his feet with a groan. "That settles it, we are going right now."
Lucie on the other hand had a conflicted and worried look on her face.