Ethan kept running. His pace was quick, but his breath sounded normal. He continued advancing toward the traps while keeping the Wyvern in his trail.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
He felt another heatwave attacking him. Ethan shuddered.
'Focus, damnit!' He once again said to himself. With that, he managed to reach another phase of clarity.
The path he had to pass in the dark forest now appeared clearer in front of his eyes. Not because the moonlight was getting brighter, but because the adrenaline was enhancing his body's functions.
It always happened to his body. When his adrenaline or excitement increased, causing his heartbeat to accelerate as well, Ethan always felt like he entered a moment of clarity.
His vision became clearer, his senses sharper. But somehow, his inner self felt calm so his brain could think more calmly.
Ethan ran and leaped over the tangled roots and dense bushes. He could pass through it all without stumbling. From behind him, the barrage of fireballs continued to come at him, but those attacks kept missing. The Wyvern couldn't aim at him properly.
But then, something happened.
He felt a strong gust of wind from behind him accompanied by the sound of something big flapping. The Wyvern began to fly. It knew it couldn't chase him because of its size, but it could certainly catch him better from above.
The Wyvern's massive wings beat against the air, creating a deafening rush of wind. Its hot breath singed the air as it closed the gap between them, its eyes glinting with malice in the dim light.
Despite the terror gnawing at his insides, Ethan knew he had the advantage on the ground. He was faster, more agile, able to dart between the trees with the nimbleness of a woodland creature.
The Wyvern's lumbering form struggled to keep pace, its massive wings occasionally snagging on branches so that it slowed its pursuit.
But then, with a powerful thrust of its wings, the Wyvern launched itself into the air. It soared above the treetops with effortless grace.
Ethan's heart sank as he realized what the Wyvern was about to do.
The forest canopy trembled as the Wyvern's shadow swept over Ethan, casting him in total darkness. He glanced upward, his eyes widening in horror as he watched the Wyvern. Its fiery breath lighting up the night sky like a blazing comet.
Firebolts aimed at him. It's not just one but many, raining down on him like a deadly meteor shower.
Ethan could see it clearly. He rolled to the side, jumped, and ran. He felt his feet and arms burning. He didn't stop until he was out of the range of those attacks.
He kept running, but now his heart became increasingly anxious. Why hadn't something happened yet? He wondered if those four people intentionally made him bait.
But then the answer came not long after. After running for a few more seconds, he saw something darting from the side of him. Three ball-shaped things were hurled toward the Wyvern above him. The acid they had prepared to destroy the Wyvern's wings.
Actually, the Wyvern was agile enough to dodge it if thrown directly at it. But now, the monster's attention was solely focused on Ethan, so they could hit it.
The Wyvern let out a pained roar. It collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
Ethan stopped in his tracks and nocked an arrow on his bow again. He aimed and shot once more. The arrow whistled through the air, piercing the Wyvern's remaining eye.
The Wyvern wailed in pain. It could no longer fly because one of its wings had been destroyed by the acid thrown by his allies.
"We did it!"
That was Jack's voice. He cheered with joy as he jumped out from the bushes where they had hidden before.
Charles, Tanner, and Amelie leaped out of the bush and charged together toward the Wyvern. The Wyvern tried to rise, but before the monster could succeed, Amelie and Charles had darted toward its legs.
Since the Wyvern couldn't see, the two of them could approach easily. They swung their swords with all their might toward its feet.
The scales were quite hard, so they couldn't succeed on the first swing. But they kept trying to hack through the scales until they finally managed to cut its feet.
After that, they both jumped away, letting the Wyvern thrash about aimlessly, like the wounded beast it is. This is the most dangerous time because a monster on the brink of death will be desperate to survive. So they had to keep their distance.
Fortunately, its eyes were already blinded, so it couldn't aim its attacks properly.
"It's gonna breathe fire!" Amelie shouted, warning them.
Then, the Wyvern, realizing her voice, unleashed a torrent of fire from its mouth in her direction.
Amelie, of course, had anticipated this would happen, so she had rolled to the side before the Wyvern breathed its fire, burning the ground where she had stood earlier.
Ethan chose to stand a bit farther away since he wanted to reduce the risk of injury. He let them deal with the Wyvern until the monster met its death. Besides, the real treasure was something inside the cave it guarded.
Ethan watched Charles, Tanner, Amelie, and Jack attacking the Wyvern with their weapons. The Wyvern didn't stand a chance against the four fighters.
'Just like I thought. They didn't really need my help once the wyvern is down. But if they see me slacking, they won't be pleased.'
Ethan decided to shoot a few arrows at the Wyvern even though he knew it wouldn't be of much use. Just to show his contribution.
A few minutes later, the Wyvern was dead from the loss of blood.
Charles, Tanner, Amelie, and Jack let out a sigh of relief.
"Now, let's enter the cave and take the treasure," Jack said.
~~~