I took out the short sword of the high orc out of the porter bag on my back. I’d need it now more than ever.

My hand clenched the short sword so tightly that my knuckles turned white. The monster lifted its claws, which resembled hardened wooden gauntlets adorned with green, jade-like crystal nails. It slammed it into Kidra, who was too slow to evade.

Kidra was thrown clear, sailing through the air before crashing down some distance from me, next to a tree. I was scared, and that was understating it. Despite this, I knew that if I did not do anything, Kidra would die. Even with my intervention, he likely would still bleed out at this rate.

In the face of this paralyzing fear, I found my steps toward the monstrous portal creature surprisingly steady. My strides were soft, almost silent, and this, along with the beast's seemingly single-minded focus on Kidra, kept me undetected even though I was now just a few feet away. I tried to recall the sensation from the clearing, the power bestowed upon me by the mystical Moth. Yet, I didn't fully understand what it was or how to harness it. There was no time to ponder it now. Besides the heightened senses and possible subtle enhancements I might not have realized yet, there was only a moderate increase in strength.

Meanwhile, the portal creature charged forward. Its woody claws dug deep into the earth with each stride. Its jade-like nails were sharper than my short sword, and its muscles moved like coiled springs, pulsating with raw, unrestrained power. The jade claws glinted ominously in the dwindling light while the runes etched into its flesh pulsated with energy, casting an eerie glow across its form.

As the creature neared, its menacing presence grew to an unbearable extent. The ground quaked beneath its weight, and the air around it vibrated with intense magical energy. Its eyes were ablaze with vicious fury, challenging any who dared to confront its might. A low growl escaped the creature, exposing its deadly, sharp teeth. Each breath exhaled cloaked the surroundings in a dense, toxic mist that obscured vision and made breathing for others difficult. A nauseating waft of death, mana, and decay emanated, inducing a stomach-churning gag reflex and watering eyes.

Any brash soul daring to confront this creature would quickly understand they were facing an absolute horror. The other animals you'd meet every so often would die to a single smash of this thing. Its wooden claws, capable of tearing through flesh and bone effortlessly, and its unmatched strength were intimidating. Even brave warriors and mages would hesitate before engaging such a beast, acknowledging the slim odds of survival.

And I was no warrior. My legs trembled uncontrollably; my breathing was ragged and shallow. I could feel the blood pounding in my veins, my heart thudding in my chest like a frantic war drum. What was I doing here? Who in their right mind would return to confront such a beast? Seeing as I did—even without the mana or skills to battle such a formidable creature, I must have gone insane. When faced with such a potent mana creature, an ordinary man could expect only one outcome: death.

Indulging in such thoughts was doing me no favors. Within my blurred mind, I discerned a gate adorned with strange symbols and art I could not decipher. There was an unknown form of energy behind the gate rather than a living being. It wasn't mana.

The energy lingered around me in the space preceding the gate. It began to amass around me as if designed to do so, but before the process could complete, a shout snapped me back to reality.

"Falond, move, or you'll die!" The voice was Kidra's.

My eyes snapped open just in time to see the portal creature bearing down on me, its claw descending in a lethal arc. My death seemed inevitable. Yet, I refused to accept my fate, fueled by memories of my forced mana rituals and inherent stubbornness. I felt a wave of anger at the world for its cruelty and at myself for my uselessness. As time seemed to slow, an intense clarity washed over me. I noticed my short sword raising in a subconscious act of self-defense. But I knew it wasn't enough. The force would likely knock me unconscious even if the blade intercepted the attack. And in this situation, with no one else to come to help, that would spell certain death.

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Then I felt it.

The creature's claw began to sink into my right shoulder, causing intense pain that blinded my other senses. I could feel the brutal snap of my bone fracturing, on the brink of shattering if the claw continued forward. Yet, I was surprisingly aware of my newfound sturdiness. An image of the mysterious gate flickered in my mind once again. Its origin was unknown, a gift from the Moth? But such an idea seemed crazy. Since when did moths gift arcane gates to people? Or even regular gates?

At that pivotal moment, a mental 'click' echoed inside my head, and I sensed the gate in my mind creaking open before it clamped shut once more. The fleeting release of energy supplied the way out I needed. Power surged into my legs, granting me the speed to realign my body swiftly. Rather than being bisected by the monstrous claw, I would be sent hurtling away with a torn shoulder.

Simultaneously, a hand seized me, not an ordinary hand but one that exuded strength. It hurled me out of the beast's deadly grasp with such force that my shoulder muscles were ripped apart. It was clear that my arm would be out of use for a lengthy period without a healer or an exceptionally potent potion, which were less effective on me due to my unique constitution. It would be a significant amount of time before my arm would be useable.

Confirming the dire state of my shoulder, the short sword slipped from my grasp; I had lost all ability to hold onto anything with that arm. The dual forces of Stels, who yanked me away, and the monster's strike sent me sailing through the air before I skidded against the ground.

When the rough skid halted, my vision refocused on Stels standing before me. Stels fit the typical rogue archetype: silent, deadly, and highly skilled in stealth, which explained why I hadn't noticed him until he rescued me. His dagger was firmly lodged in the creature's other eye, causing it to be enraged.

Seizing the opportunity, Stels sprinted towards me, retrieving my fallen short sword en route. He put away his dagger momentarily and transferred the short sword to his free hand. With surprising strength, he hoisted me as if I weighed no more than a feather and hurled me quite the distance, making me land behind the tree where Kidra was laid up against. To his credit, he had the presence of mind to avoid touching my destroyed shoulder.

Despite his efforts, such a rough landing undoubtedly resulted in more bones breaking; I could almost feel a rib fracturing. Still, it was better than staying a helpless target for the portal creature. The bodily stress brought me to the brink of blacking out. Still, the power gifted by the gate began circulating within my body. It seemed to know where to go instinctively, some of the energy concentrating on my shattered bones and shredded muscles likely to stabilize or even heal them. My bleeding started to slow, though it was still too much.

The rest of the energy surged into the parts of my body that were still functional, namely, my legs and left arm. My senses sharpened, enabling me to hear the distinct sound of Stels' dagger penetrating the monster's thick, bark-like skin. Propping myself up with my good hand, I dragged my body closer to Kidra, my eyes taking in the intense battle unfolding.

I reached into my pack, finding all but one potion shattered during my rough landing. The bag was now soaked with the medicinal liquid, a fact I hadn't noticed until now due to the chaos. My left hand removed the remaining intact potion and applied it to Kidra, who was now completely unconscious. He couldn't swallow any potion I tried to feed him, reflexively spitting it out. Left with no choice, I applied the rest of the brew to his most severe wounds and then to my mangled shoulder.

Observing the area, I spotted Helena, mainly lying still, not too far away. Kidra was unconscious beside me, propped against an oak tree. Stels was in fighting condition and handling the beast better than the rest of the group combined. It wasn’t until much later that I’d truly understand why.

I knew dragging Helena to safety with my injured arm would be nearly impossible. I had to trust that the cover of the nearby bush was no better than this tree. As the sounds of the intense battle filled the air, my attention was drawn to the fierce confrontation unfolding before me. The clash of weapons and roars of the combatants echoed through the forest. I watched, hoping that Stels and the rest of the team could overcome this portal creature.

I'm still useless, as always. The thought popped up without effort. A regretful laugh escaped me.