'Swoosh'
With a swift release, the poisoned arrow cut through the air.
The tiger, still reeling in from the pain due to the sword lodged deep in its chest barely reacted. This was the highest quality arrow available in the Village, fired from one of the best bows as well.
It was highly penetrative and pierced its back with ease. A furious roar erupted—not of pain though, but of unbridled rage.
Despite its grievous injuries—a knife and an arrow struck in its back, a sword in its chest, and a deep wound on its hind leg—the beast stood tall.
Its golden eyes were more vibrant than ever before.
This felt like the final act of defiance.
My nerves tensed up, a cornered beast with nothing to lose is the most dangerous opponent.
I cast a quick glance at Ruth. She looked exhausted, likely drained from using her skills.
The tiger moved slowly towards Ruth; its walk was calculated not like a mindless beast at all. It stalked forward; gaze locked onto Ruth and made a stance to leap for the third time.
I felt something shift in the beast.
A memory flashed in my mind. A similar moment. The same imminent threat.
I shouted at the top of my lungs, without a moment of delay.
"SKILL!!"
That was all I could manage before the tiger launched itself.
I shut my eyes. I couldn't bear to see.
Silence.
Then—a growl of rage, followed by a loud crash.
I opened my eyes.
..!.
Ruth was unharmed. How?
The tiger had slammed into a tree.
Pure shock was spread across Ruth's face. She hadn't known that animals could use skills.
I had thought that this should be common knowledge by now as Reid & others should have shared the knowledge with establishment.
The only reason I could guess is that they had deliberately excluded Ruth and suppressed the information.
The tiger struggled to its feet again, legs trembling.
The accumulation of wounds, drainage due to skill, blood loss and poison all acting at once made it weaker second by second. It was on its last legs.
Ruth though didn't give it enough time to weaken and launched a relentless assault.
The tiger couldn't withstand any longer and plopped on the ground.
It let out whimpers, like a plea. Ruth though didn't give a damn and slashed its neck.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Only when the head was fully severed, did she stop. Just like our teammate she had removed its head as well.
The scene went quiet. For the first time I saw Ruth truly enraged. One thing was certain—I never wanted to be on her bad side.
Ruth slowly walked with her drained and fatigued body towards her teammates.
Exhausted, she dragged herself toward her fallen teammates—Jacob and Roy. I had never even referred to them by name before. At the very least, they deserved that much respect now.
Ruth knelt beside them, her voice barely a whisper. "It's my fault. I should never have left you."
Tears streamed down her face as she kept repeating, "I'm sorry."
After some time, I sat beside her, unsure of what to say. She turned to me, eyes pleading.
"I…I don't want to stay here. We are going back."
'No, no, this is such an opportunity to be here with you, how could I give up so easily.'
Though I pitied her, I had to make her stay.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, a weak voice cut through the air.
…!
Jacob
He was alive—barely.
Both of us turned toward him, shock freezing us in place.
His voice trembled as he spoke, his breath laboured. But his eyes shone with clarity.
"Leader, I..I am happy to see you cry for me, but you…are strong. I know that you are not a coward who would run away."
He took another strained breath, "Complete the mission, leader. For us…for the Village…
I looked at Jacob, mentally, I made a huge bow towards him. 'You really were a great…
…and for Alexander." Then—nothing. He spoke no more.
'…. motherfucker. Absolute motherfucker. You just had to open your mouth and spew shit, didn't you?'
I cursed the person whom I was extending my gratitude few seconds before.
I turned to Ruth. A newfound resolve gleamed in her eyes—the same light that had just faded from Jacob's.
I closed my eyes.
'Why? Why does this always happen to me?'
.....
The next few days were silent, we didn't communicate much between us.
This silence was unsettling.
I threw myself into sword training, displaying a renewed intensity, haunted by the fact that I had no chance of defeating the tiger. This thought fueled my desperation.
Ruth, however no longer trained me—perhaps guilt kept her away, believing that if she had been with them instead of me, things might have turned out differently.
But, today I had finally found a beast that I could fight.
A coyote.
Not as fearsome as the tiger, but still a fierce adversary. I asked Ruth to stay back, though I could feel her watchful eyes from a distance.
The battle was gruelling right from the start. The coyote was relentless, and I met it with equal ferocity.
Using my sword, I fought relentlessly, losing track of time. My mind was absolutely drained from using the skills.
Then, my grip faltered.
'Oh no!'
My sword slipped from my hands. I even forgot to use {Sprint}.
I was defenseless.
Panic surged as I braced for the attack—
But it never came.
A sharp gasp escaped me as I opened my eyes. The coyote lay motionless, a sword was impaled on the beast's body. Ruth was standing beside me.
She was looking at me right in the eyes. A deep questioning look was present in her eyes.
I looked right back into her eyes, hiding the minor discomfort I felt from seeing her face up close.
I was still not able to completely ignore the hideous birthmark, but I surely was getting desensitized.
"Why are you training so hard?" She enquired truly perplexed by my behaviour.
Clenching my fists, I spoke words that I had practiced mentally for such kind of moment.
"I just stood there while you fought. I wasn't even qualified to join the fight. Jacob and Roy… they died."
I hesitated; my breath unsteady.
"What if I'm next?"
My voice wavered.
"I…I just want to survive in this world. If I continue to remain a burden, you will surely leave me behind." I forced myself to meet her eyes.
"I don't want that."
These words were not entirely false, I was really shaken by the cold reality.
Ruth was stunned. She didn't know what to do.
'Come on, you atleast must know that you have to provide some comfort.'
The moment stretched too long, so I took the initiative. My body swayed and fell forwards.
She caught me reflexively, and I clung to her tightly.
She froze.
For a fleeting second, I sensed something—hesitation, maybe even confusion.
I had a strange feeling—was this the first time someone had hugged Ruth?
Despite my inner thoughts, I just continued hugging her, this was the first time I had gotten to touch her.
There was a soft, squishy sensation pressed against me. Even through our clothes, it was unmistakable.
The warmth of her presence enveloped me, an unfamiliar but strangely soothing feeling.
Moments later, she snapped back to reality, carefully prying herself away.
She turned and ran off towards the trees leaving behind only a single sentence.
"Don't train without me."
I inhaled the faint, lingering scent she left behind with my heartbeat slightly erratic.
Why is my heart racing?
It had to be the exhaustion. The lingering adrenaline from the fight. Or maybe just the hug.
Surely.
Yet doubts lingered in the back of my mind.