Rodent became silent and severe, slashing at Steinith, cutting through the swipes of Deskar Steinith summoned in defense, forcing the giant backward—nearly making Steinith trip over the tower's debris.

Tired and weak, Rodent was powered by phantom energy, pushing to finally end Steinith.

And the people, too, wanted to help, gathering around the giant to ensure he had no escape, some jumping at his arms and trying to bring them down.

Steinith struggled to shake them off, unable to make the needed motion to summon the Deskar to block the attacks.

People also jumped at his ankles, two and sometimes three, trying to hold the giant in place as he struggled and tried to kick them off.

This allowed Rodent to draw back his sword and charge it close to himself with an edge he knew nothing about, trusting his intuition as he readied himself to finish this.

Steinith, locked in place and looking at the kid, feared for his life and finally shook those who tried to bring down his arms. He grabbed one of them with his oversized fist—holding them in the air.

"MOVE—AND SHE DIES!"

Rodent choked at that moment, looking up at the lady but not at the other fist blasting toward him, which opened to capture Rodent and raised him into the air.

The people at Steinith's legs beat upon them while others grabbed broken wood to stab into his skin. Steinith groaned and barely kept himself in place.

He glared up at Rodent.

"How about," he started while cocking the arm that had Rodent backward. "You LEAVE!"

A black swirl surrounded Steinith's elbow, the last of the Deskar he could pull, each creating a smaller disc behind the other, which punched forward as the giant blasted Rodent with the force of a cannon.

It sounded like an explosion as Rodent was blasted over the village in an arc toward Warro Woods.

The villagers backed off at once, stunned at seeing Rodent hurled so far away, though Steinith quickly swiped a fist at those who had bothered him—knocking them aside and away.

However, he did not bother with them for long as he rose and limped toward his hut.

From there, leaning against the structure… was the axe he had left behind. He didn't bother to wrap his wounds as he glared at the villagers.

They all stared back at him… waiting for what would happen next.

However, Steinith merely faced forward… heading toward Warro Woods to finish what he had started.

----------------------------------------

FWOOOSH!

Rodent went from zero to a hundred, struggling to breathe as he soared in his current trajectory.

He descended and, before he knew it, crashed into some old, broken trees before colliding against the ground.

A thin, white magic formed around Rodent's underside that seemed to brunt some of the impact—but the man still slid across the ground to an eventual stop.

Once he was done sliding, his hand released its death grip on the sword, with Rodent choking as he rolled and struggled to breathe.

His fist smashed on his chest to open the closed airways.

Little air passed through—allowing Rodent to wheeze.

He barely rose onto his knees.

"Relax."

Rodent winced… seeing the blade next to him.

"You just pushed your limit. You have time. Rest. Or you won't see straight."

Rodent wobbled as he wheezed to speak. “…c-can’t… v-village….”

"The village is fine," Delt said from the ground. "It's you who is fucked. Big-Boss-Man wants you dead. He won't risk the seconds it takes to crush ants."

Rodent eyed the sword suspiciously.

"How do I know? Because I'm all-knowing." Delt chuckled. "Trust me. He's coming to kill you for good." He laughed louder. "Which means you only have so long to recover and plan." If swords could nod, Delt would be nodding. "My vote's to kill him. But your heart of hearts won't allow that, will it?"

Rodent nodded, rocking on his knees, fighting to breathe, feeling his lungs struggling to inflate. It was too much. He fell onto his stomach... trying not to close his eyes.

"I didn't mean to get shut-eye!" Delt continued from the ground. "That brute's big—but he's quick. His stomp means death." Rodent couldn't move. "C'mon. Use that funny magic to patch yourself up. Focus on yourself for once."

But Rodent could not do that… as he was losing touch with his mind, body, and soul.

Soon, large footsteps were heard in the woods, crunching what was beneath them.

Rodent struggled, barely able to look up… seeing the shadow of something above him… and something else descending upon his form.

It was a wooden paw.

"What?" Delt voice. "That magic. It's… you."

The Wolf stood over Rodent, flushing its green magic into the man... until its tail dulled and fell and broke apart. Rodent could breathe again. He tried to look up.

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"She... actually pulled it off," Delt said, amazed. "But you weren't meant to last. How did you outlive the rest? Oh." Delt was silent. The Wolf looked at him. Delt's steel reflected its emerald-glowing gaze. "I… didn't think... that was... possible."

The Wolf did not look at the sword for long, not when thunderous footsteps could be heard from afar, a force coming close to this place. The weather above was gray and stormy as the Wolf gazed at it briefly. It seemed like rain would come… but it never did.

The Wolf then lowered its muzzle to the man's collar, biting and carefully dragging Rodent to one of the remaining trees, leaning him against it. Rodent, lying back and breathing, was still weak with blurry vision. The Wolf sat next to and gazed at him. The mostly gray-haired man chuckled.

“T-Told… you I’d… b-be back…” After that, Rodent was almost out of breath—nearly falling forward despite being slumped. His breath barely expanded his stomach. “B-But… n-not as… p-promised…”

The Wolf stared at him without expression, while elsewhere in the Woods, sounds of trees being hacked and falling over were heard. The giant approached them, and Rodent struggled to touch and push against the ground.

The Wolf placed its paw on his stomach—stopping his movements.

"W-What are you…"

The Wolf rose. It turned to the commotion and held. Then, it tilted its head back, howling. The whine lasted for seconds, and the distant hacking stopped. Seconds later, the steps started toward them, and the Wolf began toward it.

Rodent reached out after the animal. "W-Wait."

"It's doing you a favour," Delt said, lying next to the tree, also having been brought there. "Recover. Heal. It'll only hold Steinith for so long."

Rodent, straining to lean forward, struggled. "I-It's… n-not a thing."

"Doesn't matter what it is," Delt returned. "You only have so much time and moves you can make." He darkly laughed. "Wanna waste on sentiments? Because that will get you applause in the afterlife—but won't do shit for you here."

A cold breeze whistled through the scene.

In Rodent's blurred, blinking vision, he watched the stalking animal disappear. "Focus. Don't let your young heart dictate everything. I shouldn't even be helping you—but you've caught enough of my interest."

Rodent choked, grabbing at his stomach. "H-Heh... c-come around... o-on me?"

The area was dark, cold, and gray, and the breeze was aggressive as it passed through and whistled frequently—a stale nightmare during waking hours.

Time went slow and fast.

Rodent was hot while he was cold.

He was sweaty and thirsty, and everything burned and ached. He was having trouble keeping himself together while his blade lay on barren ground out of reach.

"Still think you're a whiny brat that needs to do a little more shutting up," Delt said politely. "But there's something underneath your surface worth watching. Want to be the hero? Save the day? The intent isn't what makes that so."

Rodent listened.

"Winning is."

Still propped against a tree, Rodent let out a weak, annoyed chuckle before letting his head roll limply to the side to look at the sword. It confused him that, after all these years and legends, the Ancient Sword would be just another thing.

And a prick.

"Don't focus on the village, what's happening there—or might happen," Delt started more compassionately. "Don't think of the Wolf, what it's been dealing with, or its current fate." The words floated. "Those worries. Those doubts. They won't help you. You need to clear your mind, body, and soul for the things you do control."

Rodent almost wanted to protest.

"You need to heal yourself and find a way to defeat Steinith," Delt continued. "Everything else can lurk in the back of your mind—but it cannot interfere with your main objectives." Winds howled throughout the area; it felt like a cold autumn. "You used something in that village. Something you're not fully sure about."

Rodent nodded.

"Good. That's Brar. It's the opposite of Deskar." As if scanning the area for a threat, Delt stopped before resuming his speech. "It's rare, hard to use, and burns the user. If used right… it'll be your saving grace in this world."

Delt paused.

Something bothered him.

"Now's not the time for details. Focus on that feeling of Brar... focus on yourself... healing yourself."

Rodent struggled.

"Hey. No playing a martyr," Delt imposed.

In the distance, quaking steps were heard and nearly felt. The seconds ticked and expanded, a horrible tension infusing the air.

"It's no secret you'd die for your friends—that you'd take someone else's punch. Very fuckin' noble. Also very fuckin' stupid without an exit plan."

Rodent groaned.

"Focus that Brar on yourself… that white, burning magic, that essence that you can feel but… never describe." Delt sounded almost like an addict. Rodent followed his words. "Take it. Grab it. Furnish it. Let it flourish. Feel it course throughout you… send it to where it hurts… let it soothe you for the time… let that magic restore what has been lost."

Rodent gasped, grabbing and pulling at himself. Sparkling happened around his body, and a misscurrent occurred within him. He struggled to contain the gushing, wild magic he had no control over. His body spasmed as he choked at his sudden lack of air.

"DON'T FIGHT IT!" Delt commanded. "REDIRECT IT! DON'T GO AGAINST THE TIDES! Flow with them… show them how to move… where to go from inside them…"

Though strained, Rodent didn't struggle as much. He relaxed against the tree, going without breath as he focused on the feeling within.

"That's right. There you go. Focus on healing. Don't be afraid of it—don't scorn it. Heal. Let yourself be healed. Don't repress it."

Rodent, choking, felt his feet jolt, his body shaking, the currents calming and following a flow, moving and circulating throughout his body, smoothing the bumps and soothing the injuries, letting Rodent feel again as he sat there.

Seconds after that, those healing waves vanished, but their touch could still be felt as Rodent returned to himself.

He blinked and breathed, doing the latter slowly as his vision adjusted to the gray woods, unable to see the sky above. He was able to rock and feel his back again, his hands touching and pressing against the base of the tree, allowing him to jerk as he rose up—falling onto his knees.

His face hung above the ground, mostly gray air hovering over his forehead, and Rodent gasped down air. His usual lung problems weren't affecting him.

Coming to press a fist against the ground, he pressed against that and rose, stumbling and feeling his vision fade and then return.

Then he stood there, a tired, injured man able to walk and fight again, confused as he looked down at his gloved hands and curled them.

After that, he looked over his shoulder at the sword left on the ground, returning to pick it up.

Delt felt proper within his grip.

"Feeling brand new?' Delt quipped.

Rodent winced as he nodded. "Good... enough."

"Brar ain't unlimited—you'll have to make do with what you got." Delt was placed back into his sheathe as Rodent turned to Wolf's paw prints. "Now. I would advise you to leave the Wolf and village and go elsewhere to train—but we know that ain't happening."

Rodent limped toward the distant fighting.

"So you are going to need a plan to defeat Steinith," Delt said. "Because you know he's going here with more than just his fists."

Rodent nodded. "I know."