He looked at his companion and saw the fat man holding a ball of fire.

"I’m not going to die here!" He threw it and then another one and another. A rain of fire aimed at the wolf.

The beast dodged without a problem and charged at the pyromancer. "Someone with a skill for defense! Protect him!"

Another man came in front and conjured a big shield. The wolf tried to cut it, but it was too sturdy. His claws that could rip people in two were only scratching the shield. Jacob shot two more times, and this time he hit right on the mark.

They could see the blood coming from the bullet wounds. Yes, Tomas showed it to them before he died. The wolf was mortal just like any other creature. There is still hope in this battle.

If we only used our powers from the beginning. More balls of fire flew over the shield. The wolf dodged, but his tail was caught on fire. A woman in the back shot a ray of electricity at the beast.

"GGGGGRRAAAAHHH!" It writhed in pain as it rolled down the ground. It was going well, but the beast wasn't down yet. The wolf looked at them with more anger, and his eyes turned red.

It ran for the fat man again, but the shield was in front of him. Once again, the wolf used the same ability, and he turned into a blue flash. It changed direction and bit the man in his big belly. "Aaaaahhhh!" He could only scream in pain as the wolf devoured his gut in one bite.

It wasn’t finished. With another fast sprint, he went after another woman who shot electricity, and he slashed her in three parts with his claws. Nine left. He was counting the number of people still alive, including himself.

Jacob was the only one who was attacking from a distance, so naturally the wolf ran at him next. Once again, it turned into a blur of blue and was almost on top of him.

"Shit!" The guy with the shield was too far. Silas was the only one who could reach him.

[Sprint] Silas ran faster than ever before in his life, and using the same type of claws, he stopped the beast’s attack. The wolf was surprised that he could keep up with him.

"What’s the matter? You aren’t the only one who can use that skill!" a small attempt to confuse him. After only a few seconds after repelling the first attack, he could feel his legs were losing power. It was like he had just finished running a marathon.

Fuck, did I strain my legs? He wanted to fall and hold his legs in pain, but he didn’t have the luxury. The other claw was coming for his head. He tried to back away, but his legs were barely moving.

The shield came in the nick of time to block the claw and save him. At the same time, another woman came with a sword made of rocks. She had made the edge sharp with different sizes and cut one of the wolf’s legs.

The beast jumped back in pain, but it was still determined to kill them. Suddenly, a dark chain wrapped around its other leg. It was the power of a man in the back. He was beginning to bleed just like Tomas.

The wolf used his skill again and crushed the man's skull under his leg. Even that barely managed to stop his movement for a second. Only eight of us. God dammit, there is no balance here. How could this bastard use that skill so many times in a row? Is there no cooldown in this world or a mana bar? No, the price is probably how much his legs can take.

If the wolf was straining his muscles every time he used that ability, he couldn’t complain. He only did it once, and he wanted to lie down from the pain.

The wolf turned back to the entrance, and it was the first time he considered running away. It was only for a second, and then it looked like he discarded the idea.

Why? Is he furious with us for killing his pack? There was no time to consider it now. He had to direct the rest of the guild and secure the victory.

"Shield, keep defending. I have a plan to kill it. Can you make more swords?" He asked the woman with the broken blade made of rocks.

"I think maybe one more..." She focused on her hand and took a piece of the ground to make another sword. She was panting for the effort, almost about to pass out.

"Thanks, that’s all I need to kill it!" he exclaimed loudly, making sure the wolf heard. At the same time, he patted Jacob on the back and whispered something.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I’ll be the bait. Shoot him in the head when he comes for me."

"Are you sure you can dodge?"

He didn’t answer. There was no time to worry about him. Defeating the wolf came first.

"Come at me, stupid animal!" The beast didn’t wait and charged at him. During this whole fight, Silas had been the second biggest nuisance after Tomas.

After missing a leg, it was much slower. The woman with the rock sword and another guy with a box glove attacked the wolf, but it slashed both of them. Their arms went flying and the beast kept coming at Silas.

"Shield!

"I know!"

[Sprint] The wolf changed directions again. His cut leg exploded with blood from the pressure he was using on it, but he was about to crush Silas with his fangs.

Jacob tried to aim, but it was too fast. I can’t do it. I don’t have the angle to shoot him in the head. He could shoot him in another part of the body, but Silas would most certainly die. He was going to die because he couldn’t do the only thing he practiced more throughout his whole life.

A glowing light appeared in the body of the wolf. It was calling to him, a voice on his back. "You can do it, Jacob." He felt a hand grabbing the gun alongside him. He finally noticed it was one of his companions. He looked across the cave into her eyes. They were glowing with the same shimmer.

He wasn’t sure what this power was, but his heart was calm. He took a single step and aimed. A single shot pierced the wolf’s skull at the right angle before he could tear Silas’s arm.

The beast finally collapsed right in front of Silas's eyes. "Uf, uf, we won. We won!" He cried out from the bottom of his soul in extreme bliss.

Soon, the rest of his companions did the same. The fight was over, and they had survived. The first raid had ended.

He fell on his knees and the rock sword he was holding broke down. He looked to his wounded companions as a woman went to their side and began to treat their wounds.

"We have a healer, good." He lost consciousness after that. He had a smile on his face for two reasons. One: He won his first raid in this new world. Two: He was going to get healed, which meant no more of this infernal pain on his legs.

***

He woke up looking at a ceiling inside one of the abandoned houses. Right at his side was Jacob.

"Hi Buddy. How are you feeling? Your legs were in bad shape, but thanks to Rebecca, they should be better."

"What? How long have I been sleeping?" He touched the bandages on his body. They weren’t the leaves and vines. Instead, they were the proper bandages of his world.

"About six hours or so. By the way, those are from Rebecca’s powers. She can heal wounds, but she is tired after treating so many people at once. You can talk with her and the rest of them tomorrow. You should rest longer. After all, you helped a lot during the fight."

"Right, I did it." The feeling of victory had passed and was now like a distant memory. He had to remember this wasn’t a game; everything was real, and people did die. Despite all that, he was glad to be alive.

Jacob was about to leave when someone opened the door in a hurry. It was the man that made a shield during the fight. "Sorry for coming in without knocking, but is Silas awake?" He looked worried, but he smiled as soon as he saw him. "Good, I need to come with me. Emily is detecting strange movements."

"What movements? Is a beast close by?"

"No idea. That’s why we need to ask Silas. Can you walk or are your legs still hurting?"

"Yeah, I can go..." The second he tried to get up, his legs gave up. "No, I can’t."

Jacob ended up carrying him on his back like a little kid. He felt weird about having to do this with a person around his age, but there was nothing more he could do. They took him to the entrance of the cave. Everyone else was there waiting for him.

He made a quick count of heads. Eight, no one else had died after he passed out. He let out a small sigh of relief in his mind without noticing.

"Silas, sorry to bother you when you’re still recovering, but something is happening. I can feel something big moving close and taking all the animals around!"

"Something? Is it a beast or a machine?"

"I don’t know, I just feel his size is massive, bigger than a building and, with plants all around him, it is like a giant plant made from hundreds of plants. What should we do?"

"You’re asking me? The Leader is—" He stopped himself, but the looks of sadness were already on their faces. Tomas was dead, and if they hadn’t chosen a new leader, then maybe that meant.

"You chose me as the new guild leader!"

"Uh, no, sorry, we haven’t decided on a leader yet."

"I don’t want another leader boy. We almost die because we follow the words of a single person. I’m not letting anyone else order me around without a good reason." The man who made a boxing glove answered.

"Oh, I see. Then why are you asking me?"

"Isn’t it obvious? You were the one to help and direct everyone during the fight with that wolf. You said you had experience in raiding, and you dispelled the fear of all of us with your power. You’re the best we have when encountering new creatures." The woman who made crude swords said what everyone was thinking.

They were all looking at him with expectant eyes. Jacob gave him a proud smile.

I see, they want my knowledge. Not as a leader, but as an advisor. Yeah, that sounds appropriate. If we don’t have a leader, I can take the most important position as advisor. We can vote, but my opinion is more valuable because of my position. Yeah, this works well enough for me to move the guild in the direction I want.

He had a smug expression, and everyone could tell he was getting a weird idea.

"There are a lot of possibilities. The most likely scenario is that the creature is an amalgamation of plants and maybe beasts. If it’s bigger than a building, we don’t have to worry too much; he can’t possibly enter the cave."

"What if he sends vines or some type of plant to trap us?"

"Yes, doing nothing would be just as stupid as fighting it. I suggest we hide in the deepest part of the cave, all of us together, and wait for it to pass."

It was a simple plan, but everyone agreed. In a half-ruined house, all the members of the new guild spend the night together.