"Are you really sure about this?"
Eldric's voice quivered with a blend of concern and determination, his body instinctively swerving to the left just in time. The ground where he had stood moments ago cracked and splintered, evidence of the danger narrowly avoided.
The Hound's enraged bellow echoed in the air as he watched Eldric dodge his attacks. Frustration etched across his features, he lifted his hands off the ground and growled;
"Stop scuttling away, you mongrel! Face me head-on like the awakened you claim to be!"
Eldric's response came with a wry smile, his movements fluid and evasive. "No, thank you," he retorted, sidestepping yet another oncoming fist with a calculated grace that belied his earlier uncertainty.
Out of nowhere, a rock hurtled through the air with precision, striking the Hound's head forcefully. The impact caused him to jolt forward, blood streaming from the wound.
"Why, you..." The Hound's voice dripped with anger as he redirected his attention towards the origin of the unexpected attack.
His glare fixated on a scrawny boy positioned a short distance away. Unfazed by the escalating turmoil, the boy skilfully juggled two rocks, almost as if the chaotic confrontation meant little to him.
"Don't turn your back on me!" Eldric's voice boomed with determination as he swiftly closed the distance between them. With his iron-clad fist primed for action, he struck the man's back with calculated force. The impact was spot-on, causing the Hound to stagger forward with a deep, guttural groan of pain.
They fought on, with the Hound's upper body soaked in blood from the combined assault of Eldric and Morvain. Morvain's accurate rock throws targeted the man's weak spots, showing his strategic brilliance.
"Mor, you're absolutely a genius," Eldric acknowledged, a sense of hope and confidence blooming within him. The odds of overcoming their powerful opponent and surviving this ordeal were beginning to look better and better.
It was Morvain's intellect that truly turned the tide. His initial plan was simple: split up and attack at the same time. Though Eldric didn't fully comprehend the strategy at first, he trusted Morvain implicitly. After all, Morvain's plans had never let them down before.
After a series of exchanges, the realization dawned on him. The Hound's Iron Fury relied on his focus. If he was busy defending against Eldric's iron punch, it left his back vulnerable to Morvain's attacks since he couldn't monitor both fronts simultaneously.
"Yeah, you believe you stand a chance," the Hound sneered, using two fingers to wipe a trickle of blood from his forehead. "All because of this? Do you truly think I'd be so easily vanquished?"
He turned towards the boy with rocks in his hand. "You are the smart one, aren't you? You think you can defeat me, boy?" His voice was deep and rumbling, like distant thunder. "You know it, don't you? It's only a matter of time until my subordinates return, and then... everything will be over. Puff!" He mockingly laughed.
Morvain gritted his teeth, fully aware that this was the truth. Despite Eldric's potential power, it lacked the honing and training that the Hound had mastered. No matter how impressive someone's abilities might be, there always exists a limit. And for an untrained individual, that limit arrives sooner rather than later.
He couldn't afford to prolong this any further. His eyes scanned the available resources at hand - rocks, more rocks, some more rocks, and the sewer. A limited arsenal. But in this dire situation, there was only one course of action left, akin to the initial instinct of a thief: Run.
Morvain shot a swift nod toward Eldric before sprinting toward the sewer. Despite his less imposing build and lacking the speed of the other two awakened beings, he pushed his skinny legs to their limits in a desperate attempt to escape.
The Hound's laughter echoed like thunder as he witnessed the scrawny kid's attempt to flee, leaving his friend behind.
"Ha, ha, ha...look at him go with those scrawny legs," he guffawed, clutching his stomach as he pointed at the awkwardly sprinting kid. "Did you see that? He's leaving you behind. Quite the clever one, isn't he?"
"Shut up and take this!"
Eldric lunged with a high kick, his foot coated in a glinting layer of iron, but the laughing Hound swiftly caught his leg. The Hound's expression shifted from amusement to seriousness in an instant, his eyes narrowing as he effortlessly lifted the boy off the ground.
"A simple tactic, but you're missing the fundamental essence of an awakened." The Hound said.
Eldric grunted as he strained against the unyielding grip, his muscles straining in a futile attempt to break free.
"You see, it's not just about brute strength. It's about finesse, strategy, and mastering one's power."
With a sudden surge of strength, he lifted the struggling boy off the ground, effortlessly holding him in a vice-like grip. "I'll deal with you later," the Hound declared with a chilling tone. "For now, I have a business to attend to with that scrawny one over there." A cold smile curled at the corners of his lips. "Perhaps you could watch his death as I break his little big brain with my iron hands. Maybe, that can fuel your power more. So be prepared when I come back..."
In a swift and powerful motion, the Hound hurled Eldric through a nearby window. The boy crashed through the fragile wooden frame, sending splinters and debris scattering in all directions. The sound of shattering of woods and the impact echoed through the air as Eldric landed in a tangled heap on the floor of a nearby house.
"Now, where are you going?"
The Hound pressed his iron toes to the ground and sprinted forward.
Morvain's heart raced as he pushed his body to its limits, his feet pounding against the ground in a desperate sprint. The world around him seemed to blur as his breaths came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving with exertion.
Despite the numbness creeping through his limbs, he pressed on, driven by an unyielding determination. The sewer came into view, his bag lying on the shores drenched in the murky water.
With his body straining and his energy waning, the bag seemed to stretch into an impossible distance before him. Frustration and fatigue coursed through Morvain's veins, but he refused to relent.
"Oh, to hell with it!"
Summoning the last of his strength, he propelled himself forward, his exhaustion seeming to hasten his descent as he leaped towards the bag.
A muffled impact resonated as he landed on the ground, his fingers inches away from the bag. With a swift movement, he secured the bag in his grip, feeling the texture he knew so well—though now tainted with a putrid odour and a slimy residue that oozed from it.
But still...it was with him.
"And what are you going to do with that, my scrawny thief?" Morvain could see the large shadow cast over him, like a grim reaper with his scythe ready to harvest his meal.