Am I going to die? Please no, I’m just getting good at magic, I still haven’t done beaten Lucius, I’m supposed to be grandad’s successor, please God even if never leave from here and I have to kill my dreams just let me live. I haven’t gone on a single adventure yet!

Ran was losing his mind; the situation was too much for a small kid.

“Ed, you run away, it’s going to bite!”

“Huh?!” Quin’s voice woke him up from his shock-induced sleep, the kid is holding a thick, long piece of wood with both hands, his stance is meant to indicate, he isn’t playing around, Quin’s face is twisted with both fear and tension

Does he plan to fight it?

“Fisher-boy are you crazy or something? Did I land a hit on your head or something? You plan to fight that with a stick?” Van berates him for his heroism.

“Do you have a better plan? I’m the oldest one here… I have to take care of you all”

“By like a year at most! Don’t be stupid, we have to run!”

“If we try that someone is going to get caught, Van!”

“guyth what ith that thing?” Aari inquired. He tries to sound normal but fear seeps from his voice even if no one noticed.

“Don’t know? A wild dog? How am I supposed to know? Fish-boy, remember? That dog doesn’t have any gills or scales,”

“It does however have some sharp-looking claws and teeth so I would advise Boss to leave now, Quin can take care of it,” Neils said, in the calmest, most collected tone he was able to muster, but the trembling of his legs gave away the real dept of his despair.

“I don’t want to be left behind either!”

“Guys, please, can we center ourselves? It doesn’t matter what that thing is, but it doesn’t look friendly,” Van pleaded with everyone.

Ever since the beast sprinted out of the woods all it had done so far was growl at them, violently, scaring all the kids stiff, but otherwise, it had yet to make a move. The seven of them had stuck together, forming a closed circle, scared to move a muscle for fear of retaliation.

“Boss, don’t you have any magic to kill it with? It would be really helpful now,”

Realizing he’s being spoken to; Edwin turns to face Neils.

“M-maybe, but I never used it against anyone,”

When I tried [Water ball] on the Lehwen it didn’t work, I can’t use water to hurt him, I can try [Stone cannon] on it and kill it, I’ve practiced it and I know I can cast it but… as far as killing something with it… am I strong enough?

“Then let’s do this, you use your magic on it, and I attack when it’s distracted. Aari, Neils, and Zach run go get help," Quin ordered.

“Why uth?”

“You three are the fastest ones of all of us,”

I don’t want to get eaten!

“Move so I don’t hit anyone,”

It’s time to let everyone know, I’m a powerful mage, “Ed the great” I can do this… I’m strong, am I?

Ed clenches his fist. Looks at the creature, it’s a few centimeters taller than him. If it was a dog, it would be the biggest one he had ever seen.

He methodically starts the casting process. Following step by step as he always does, this time he’s overly careful.

He channels surface-level mana, mid chant he realizes the boys are hearing him and gets embarrassed, but no one cares, in fact, Van is the only one that shows any interest in the words themselves.

If Van thinks this is cool, then I am cool!

The ground shakes ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly so.

A puff of dirt, and by the time everyone realizes, a stone ball is forming in front of Edwin.

Please don’t fail!

“[Stone cannon]” He utters the final part of the casting, arguably the most important one if Taft is to be believed.

He doesn’t fail, the ball strikes the beast in the chest. It breaks against its hide, it howls and bellows in pain.

It didn’t die!

“Now!” Quin screams as he starts his offensive on the enemy.

Aari collects himself enough to realize what he has to do, and sprints off in the direction of the village.

“I’ll come back with help!” he shouts

Neils also runs.

“Idiot, that’s not the way back!" Zach yells at him, but it’s in vain. He doesn’t hear him, already far past the bushes and trees, making his way, from the same direction the monster came from.

“Just fucking die! Take this, and this too” Quin continuously bashes the disoriented monster, over and over again, in the head, the chest, and even on the side of its belly, all his might on every assault, but the monster refuses to go down.

Infuriated, it catches the piece of wood with its teeth before it hits it on the head again. The stick breaks due to the sheer strength of the jaws.

“Fuck no!” Quin attempts to get one last punch in… but he doesn’t get the chance to

The creature bites him on the hand. Luckily, he doesn’t lose any fingers, but the damage is enough for blood to spurt from the gash now present on his hand. The animal releases him, only to bite on the fabric of his pants, making him lose balance, making Quin fall to the ground.

The young fisherman is at the mercy of the beast. He looks straight into the monster’s eyes. He knows he’s dead. The creature knows it as well. It’s a done deal between them.

He closes his eyes on pure reflex. The monster directs all of its sharp rows of teeth to Quin’s neck.

The flesh rips apart with uncanny ease, like a hot knife through butter, a macabre show of blood and meat, the monster rightfully earned feast.

Or it would have been, but this done deal, Finnan wasn’t aware of it.

Quin’s eyes opened up when he heard a loud thud.

The baker-boy and the monster went rolling to one side.

“Finn!”

Edwin stands a few meters behind them, observing the spectacle with worried eyes, Zach at his side wondering what to do slamming himself for not running with Aari to look for help.

What can I do? I can’t throw another [stone cannon] or I risk hitting them instead! is watching truly the only thing I can do? Is this really how strong I am?

The four legger animal rose up on wobbly legs, but not any less aggressive.

Seemingly having decided to continue the onslaught, it focused on Finnan who was closest to him, and bite on his leg, the kid screamed, a deep painful cry left his lips as the multiple canines penetrated his skin, reaching all the way to the bone.

“Leave him alone!” Quin shouted at the top of his lungs.

He crawled and bashed the creature on its snout several times until its hold over his friend’s leg gave way.

Only Quin hadn’t put much thought into what would happen after freeing Finnan.

“Wha- NO!” He managed to let a few words out before guarding against the incoming attack, he received the brunt of it with his arms, which now were viciously bitten, the monster wasn’t about to let go either, munching on them trying to scrape the meat off the bones reaping and tearing.

A rock flew and hit it straight in the eye.

“LET HIM GO BASTARD! Ugly mutt!” Zach was the one at the rescue this time.

But the creature didn’t look at him, but at the young seven-year-old at his right, the kid that was right about his height.

A shiver ran down Raanan’s spine. He felt a freezing chill coursing through his body.

mixed signals blasting on his head.

Run

Don’t move

FIGHT

He chose to stay still.

It didn’t matter. Either way, he isn’t as fast as Lucius to avoid getting mauled, or smart like Lan to figure out a way out of this. Can’t fight or flight, only remain as is, never change nor move from his set path.

The monster attacked, running full steam ahead for him. The shadow of death grew bigger and bigger until it towered over him.

So, this is it.

But he wouldn’t die then. It wasn’t on the cards, not yet.

He got hit from the side, shoved so hard he flew away at least a meter from where he was standing before landing on his bottom.

Standing where he should have was Zach. He received the attack in full, got slashed on the belly with the razor-sharp claws that reaped and clawed their way in, carving a path through his young body.

“NO!” he yelled in anguish; his scream almost comparable to Zach’s screeches of pain

Why? Is this really all I can do? Then it’s better for me to never leave this place, ever. I’ll be a good boy and become whatever they want. Just, someone, please help us!

The beast was now about to feast on the flesh of his friend, both Quin, and Finnan, barely moving and in a similar state of distress.

Alden’s words resonated deep within him. He realized there really was nobody coming, and if there were, they were taking their sweet time.

“I’m not a little bitch!”

He shouted before casting again.