Chapter 9: Hope and Dispair

As we prepared to face the enemy in front of us, silence filled the air, except for the sound of our steady breaths. Behind us stood the door, and behind the enemy lay our captive ally, Grace, writhing in pain. We knew we had to defeat the five fierce dire wolves quickly if we were to rescue her.

Backing away slowly, we moved outside the room to give ourselves more space to fight. Although we were still inside the underground room, we had left the chamber where Grace was being held captive. The vast room stretched out before us, towering 30 meters high and measuring 70 meters in width and length. Despite its size, we had nowhere to hide and no means of calling for backup. It was empty.

As we were moving back, I turned to Claire who was behind me and asked, "What exactly are dire wolves, Claire?"

"They're wolf like monsters that travel in packs," Claire replied, her grip on her weapon tightening. "They possess great strength, comparable to the orcs we faced before."

"Hear that, Tem?" I said, addressing my companion. "We can defeat them." Tem nodded in agreement, raising his knives with a determined look.

"You're right, we can beat them," Claire said, her voice filled with concern. "But there's one problem," she added.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"One of the dire wolves isn't like the others," Claire said as sweat drops from her face.

Upon closer inspection, one of the wolves did stand out from the others. The first four were pitch black, with piercing red eyes. But it was the one in the middle of the four that truly caught our attention. It had a single horn protruding from its forehead, with eyes as black as coal and fur being a dark purple. As I watched it closely, I noticed that its body was radiating an aura of black magic, giving it an ominous presence.

"That, my friend, is a Fenrir," Claire spoke, her voice filled with apprehension. "I've never encountered one before, but I've heard it's a formidable foe."

"Muhahahah!!" The stranger laughed wickedly, spreading his arms wide open. "Yes! You are correct, little knight! This is a Fenrir, gifted to me by my comrade. Those who have dared to face it have not lived to tell the tale."

"I suppose this won't be a cakewalk," I chuckled nervously.

The four wolves began to encircle us, with the dark purple one standing back and watching intently. The three of us stood back to back, making sure we had each other's backs covered.

"By the way, Sir Aaron," Tem whispered to me. "How are you going to defend yourself without a weapon?"

I reached for my sheath and my heart sank. "Oh no!!!" I exclaimed inwardly. "I forgot that it broke!"

"Pretty brave of you to go into battle with these hounds without a weapon, Aaron," Claire said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

The wolves began to growl, fixating their eyes on us as if we were their next meal.

"I can still put up a fight with my bare hands. It may not be the most effective way, but I'll do my best," I declared as I took up a stance.

"That's the spirit," Claire replied, a smirk forming on her lips.

Without warning, one of the wolves lunged at me, ready to strike. I tried to defend myself, but to no avail. Thankfully, Claire jumped in just in time, catching the wolf's snarling jaws with her sword and pushing it back. As the wolf recoiled, I noticed that it now had a deep cut on its mouth from the encounter.

As the battle raged on, two of the wolves focused their attention on Tem, lunging at him with their razor-sharp teeth bared. But with remarkable agility, Tem managed to dodge their attacks, leaping over them and striking from behind.

Just as Tem was recovering from his attack, one of the wolves tried to take him by surprise from behind. But I was quick to react and kicked the wolf, sending it flying across the clearing.

Tem looked at me with surprise, then nodded in gratitude.

One of the wolves charged towards Claire, but she effortlessly dodged it. With a powerful swing of her sword, she sliced the wolf in half.

With the five wolves now injured and weakened, I couldn't help but smile. "Is that all you've got? It's time to face that Fenrir," I declared with confidence, pointing directly at the horned creature.

"All I've got? Say that to me when you've defeated my wolves," the enemy sneered with a smile.

The three of us were caught off guard and confused as we watched in horror. Suddenly, the wolves began to stand back up, their injuries miraculously healing before our very eyes. Even the one that had been cut in half, its severed body parts were drawn together by some kind of dark magic.

The Stranger cackled maniacally. "Hahahaha! If you think death can stop these wolves, you're an idiot. They will never stop until their prey is dead," he declared with a twisted grin.

The dire wolves attacked again, their bodies charging towards us at full speed. The three of us managed to deftly dodge every attack they threw our way. However, suddenly Tem lost his footing, and one of the wolves took advantage of the moment, lunging at him and grazing his arm with its sharp claws.

"Tem!" I exclaimed in concern.

Claire and I pushed back the wolves that we were facing and quickly went to Tem's side.

"Are you alright Tem?" I asked in concern.

Tem smiled bravely. "It's okay, sir Aaron," he said. "I can handle this much."

I turned my attention back to the wolves, now circling us once again. They seemed to be gathering their strength for another attack.

I took a glance at Claire and could see that she was frustrated. "We can't keep this up forever," I said, looking at Claire and Tem.

Claire nodded in agreement, her sword at the ready.

Tem and I prepared ourselves to face the wolves once again, knowing that they seemed to be tireless and nearly invincible.

The wolves attacked again, targeting Tem who was still injured. Claire blocked the fangs of one wolf while I kicked the other."Arrggh! get back!" Claire shouts and swiftly swung her sword, cutting the wolf in half, but to no surprise, the body parts slowly attached themselves back together.

As I examined the scene more closely, I discovered that the sinister energy responsible for dragging each limb together was linked to Fenrir. Thin, thread-like strands extended from the severed wolf and bound it to the monstrous creature's horn.

The three of us huddled together, backs pressed against each other. I whispered, "I reckon the only way to put an end to these monsters for good is to take out their origin."

"The origin?" Tem and Claire inquired.

"I'm not entirely certain, but I have a feeling that if we go after the Fenrir, it might bring down the dire wolves with it," I replied, fixing my gaze on the looming figure of the Fenrir.

"But won't the dire wolves defend it if we try to attack, Sir Aaron?" Tem suggested.

The wolves closed in on us once again, making it clear that we needed to act fast and put an end to this.

"Claire, what are you planning?" I asked.

"Distract the enemies for me," she replied, determination etched on her face. "I have a plan, but it requires time. I couldn't use it during the orc incident due to its time-consuming nature. However, if both of you can keep the enemies occupied, I can take down the Fenrir."

"Can you really handle this, Claire?" I asked, concern etched on my face.

"I didn't become a captain for nothing, Aaron," Claire replied with a smirk.

"Alright, let's do this," I said, determination fueling my words.

We repositioned ourselves, with Tem and I standing back to back while Claire took the center. Our mission was clear - buy some time for Claire to execute her plan. It wasn't going to be a cakewalk, but we were ready for whatever came our way. Claire closed her eyes and concentrates.

The wolves came at us with ferocity, and Tem and I struggled to fend them off. Without any weapon to defend myself, I relied on my bare hands, making it difficult to hold them at bay. As the wolves began to realize what was happening, they started targeting Claire. But each time they lunged at her, Tem swiftly intervened, cutting them off with his knives and barraging them with stabs to push them back.

We fought tooth and nail to protect Claire, our bodies straining with the effort. Suddenly, Claire's body began to glow a deep crimson, her magic focused entirely on herself.

The wolves grew even more enraged, and the Fenrir watched with interest as Claire readied herself. The stranger who had been with the Fenrir backed away slowly, clearly afraid and ran inside the room where grace was in.

As the dire wolves attacked with even greater ferocity, I fought my way towards Claire, using every ounce of my strength to push and punch my way through the pack. But in a moment of distraction, one of the wolves lunged at Claire. Tem was preoccupied with the wolves he was facing, so I rushed towards Claire and caught the wolf in midair. But despite my efforts, its jaws sank deep into my arm, causing me to wince in pain.

I let out a pained grunt as I ripped the wolf's head off my arm and hurled it away. Tem followed up with a swift lunge and stabbed the wolf before it could recover. My arm was still intact, but blood was pouring from the wound. Suddenly, we felt a surge of power emanating from Claire. We turned around to see her eyes open, her body in a powerful stance.

"I'll take care of that Fenrir," Claire declared, her eyes fixed on the creature.

I was completely taken aback. I know magic exist in this world, but I had never seen anything so incredible before.

"Dimittis! Carve a Path!" Claire exclaimed. And with that, she darted towards the Fenrir so quickly that Tem and I were thrown back by the force of her movement.

Claire swung her sword with incredible speed, cutting through the air with a fierce determination. The Fenrir was caught off guard, and before it could react, Claire's sword connected with it. An explosion was created. Debris and dust flying everywhere

Tem and I looked around at the fallen dire wolves, relieved that the battle was finally over.

"We did it," Tem exclaimed as he ran over to me to help with my injuries. Tem helped me stand up.

As the dust settled, Claire approached us with a smile on her face. "It's done, let's go and get Gra-" she began to say, but was interrupted by the Fenrir rising to its feet. Its horn was broken, and its body was covered in wounds, one of its eyes closed from the impact.

Claire tried to back away, but her legs gave out from the sudden burst of magic, weakening her.

"Claire, watch out!" I shouted.

The Fenrir let out a ferocious howl, sending Claire flying towards us. I managed to catch her, but the force of the impact still threw us both against the wall. Tem rushed over to us to check on Claire.

"What do we do now?" We both shifted our gaze to Claire, who lay unconscious in my arms. Despite our exhaustion, we knew we couldn't give up.

Hope still fueled my thoughts. We had to win this fight and save Grace, no matter what. In a split second, the Fenrir charged at us. I swiftly evaded the attack, but it was too swift for Tem to react.

The creature's claws tore through him, flinging him against the wall. Blood trickled from Tem's mouth as he crumpled to the ground.

The Fenrir's attention turned to me as I stood frozen, Claire cradled in my arms. Fear consumed me as the possibility of our demise loomed over us.

The beast stalked towards us, each step bringing it closer to our fate. I couldn't fathom what to do as I met its unrelenting gaze. The weight of death bore down on me with every step it took, drawing it nearer.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind, crying out the word "despair." I couldn't comprehend what was happening.

As the Fenrir readied itself to strike, its eyes reflecting the certainty of death, I braced myself for impact. But, by some stroke of luck, I managed to dodge its attack, evading its colossal claws. Swiftly, I made my way towards Tem, checking his pulse and feeling relieved that he was still alive. I put Claire down with Tem.

As I clutched my fists, a peculiar sensation coursed through me. "I feel stronger now, but I can feel my consciousness slipping away," I thought to myself.

Claire stirred awake, her eyes landing on me. "Aaron? Is that you?" she asked, her face etched with fear. I was taken aback to see her frightened expression as she gazed at me.

"It's okay, Claire. I'll take care of this," I assured her, determined to protect them no matter what.

A dark mist suddenly eminated from me, enveloping my body and causing my consciousness to fade away. My movements became automatic, my body acting on its own.

With incredible speed, I sprinted towards the Fenrir's blind side, catching the beast off guard. Despite my lack of control, my body grabbed the creature's tail and slammed it onto the ground. As it lay there defenseless, I broke its paws with ease.

From the mist that surrounded me, a sword formed, but I couldn't feel anything. It was as though my body was acting independently of my mind. I was not responsible for my actions; they seemed to occur on their own, leaving me with no control.

Standing atop the Fenrir's lifeless body, I relentlessly stabbed it without mercy. It was as if an uncontrollable rage had taken over me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. But then, I felt something grab me from behind. "Stop! Please, it's dead," Claire pleaded as she tried to pull me away, her voice full of concern. Suddenly, I felt awake and in control once more. Looking down at the mutilated Fenrir, I was filled with shock and horror. "I did this," I muttered nervously, realizing the extent of the damage I had caused.

I felt a strange sensation as I assessed my injuries, realizing that they had miraculously healed. Claire reassured me that everything was alright now, and urged us to focus on rescuing Grace and getting out of there as quickly as possible.

"Alright, let's do this," I said, feeling a newfound sense of determination as we made our way towards the room where Grace was being held.

I turned to Claire and asked, "Can you walk?" to which she replied with a smile, "Yes, I can." Despite her injuries, she began limping forward, determined to push on. We quickly tended to Tem's wounds with the help of Claire's elixirs, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

With Tem in my arms, we rushed towards the room where Grace was being held, determined to rescue her and get out of there as quickly as possible.

End of Chapter