Beasts that were once ordinary animals had undergone terrifying mutations. These changes not only altered their appearance and increased their physical prowess, but also imbued them with a sinister intelligence. This intelligence manifested in their ability to communicate with each other when their minds were aligned.

The first signs were subtle: a pack of wolves coordinating their attacks with eerie precision, a flock of crows spying on human movements from the sky, or even underground tunnels turning into death traps orchestrated by giant mutant rats.

As time passed, it became clear that these creatures were no longer acting solely on their primal instincts. They shared thoughts, and Arthur would soon come to understand this.

When I saw the wolf so close to the hilt of my rapier, James shouted:

"Prepare for battle! It's a lone wolf, it should be fine!"

I drew my weapons, feeling adrenaline and fear surge through me as I prepared to face the creature.

The mutant wolf came closer and closer until its hind legs swelled with blood, and it charged at us with a speed that caught me off guard.

Ethan, who had been slowly approaching, hurriedly threw himself forward, his shield colliding with the wolf. Unfortunately, after a brief pause in which the two had clashed, the incredibly powerful creature, judging by its strength, took over and pushed him back.

Seeing this, everyone moved forward to gather behind Ethan, waiting for the right moment.

When Ethan looked back and gave a signal—a quick glance to James, who was already waiting with his sword drawn—James launched a thrust in the direction of Ethan's left shoulder.

With their experience, Ethan knew what James was going to do and what his signals meant. As the wolf clawed and bit, trying to find an opening in Ethan's guard, Ethan suddenly felt the pressure release, freeing him.

The wolf tried to bite Ethan's head as he was unbalanced towards Ethan's left shoulder, but James's blade rushed in over Ethan's shoulder, cutting into the wolf's jaw, wounding it and causing it to back away.

"Damn, I thought it would work, but he's sharper than I thought," James said, repositioning himself behind Ethan to his left.

Liam arrived with his spear on the right and positioned himself to coordinate the same maneuver with James when the wolf attacked again, this time from the right.

It really wasn't much of a fight for the wolf; with a tank blocking him alone, he couldn't do much, and it was only a matter of time before he fell.

The wolf twisted its body in a motion that sent shivers down everyone's spine. It howled—not to rally its pack, but as if its goal was to make the most noise, with a mixture of growls and howls.

When he was done, the wolf looked at us with a subtle glance, as if he knew something we didn't. Then a sound came from the forest, with vibrations in the ground becoming more noticeable, showing that something—or somethings—was heading our way.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Closing the ranks, James said, "If there's more than one, the teams will be Ethan and I, Emilia and Liam, and Nina and Arthur."

Everyone nodded as my hands grew increasingly clammy in anticipation of the battle ahead. As the entity creating the vibrations crossed the edge of the forest, we saw a dark boar with huge tusks, visible scars all over its body, and sinister red eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

As James prepared to go wolf hunting with Ethan and gave us our positions for the approaching boar, I saw something out of the corner of my eye coming at full speed from inside the town.

Turning in that direction, I saw a boar, less imposing than the one coming toward us, but just as angry. Understanding the message and the sign of fate, I shouted to the group:

"I'll take care of this one alone!"

When James saw the boar, he hesitated but replied, "No! Emilia, help Arthur and Nina with your bow!"

Hearing this, I knew it could ruin my mission, so I shouted more aggressively than I intended:

"NO! IT'S MINE! Weren't you the one who said I needed real experience?" I added, a little less aggressively.

Shocked by this outburst, James looked at me, torn between anger and concern. He wanted to tell me it was for my own safety and that he knew better, but my last words made him hesitate.

"It's too dangerous!" he shouted, positioning himself behind Ethan as the wolf came at them again.

"I'll help you, Arthur; you don't have to fight it alone!" Emilia shouted right after James.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I don't need you, Emilia, just trust me!" I shouted as I ran toward the town boar.

"What's wrong with him..." muttered an annoyed James, not understanding Arthur's decision.

"Watch out!" Emilia shouted, warning Arthur to be careful as she helped her other teammates.

"Back to you, mate," I said as I rushed towards the boar, intending to change direction and narrowly avoid the boar's tusks with a leap to the side.

Reversing my position so that it wouldn't go in the direction of my teammates, I began to run deeper into the town. When I heard my teammates yelling at me to come back, I ignored them.

"Sorry guys, but if this boar is alone, it's a sign of fate, and I'll be the one to kill it," I said excitedly to myself as I turned to face the boar. It had stopped a few feet from me, looking me in the eye and scraping the ground with its hind leg as it prepared to charge.

Positioning myself as James had taught me, I waited for the boar to lunge at me before using its momentum against it.

It charged, tusk raised, and when it was within a meter of me, I lunged forward, aiming for its eye. My rapier luckily and unluckily entered its eye socket, but remained blocked inside. The boar, driven by pain and rage, continued on its way. Its momentum threw me backward, and I found myself on the ground, breathless.

As I struggled to my feet, I felt a sharp pain in my left leg. One of the boar's tusks had hit my thigh, leaving a bloody, dripping gash. I had to move, but every step was agony. The boar, though wounded, was preparing for another attack.

I struggled to my feet, limping slightly, and moved away as fast as I could. Not paying attention to where I was going, I tripped over a root and sprawled on the ground. In an instant, the boar was on top of me, its eyes bloodshot, its tusks ready to pierce me.

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POV: Emilia

As I helped James' and Nina's team, using my bow and tending to the wounded, I kept looking back, but there was no sign of Arthur, who had been gone for almost five minutes.

"What could have possessed him to run off on his own when he's only just learned how to use his weapons?" I thought, irritated.

After James dealt a fatal blow to the wolf that had tried to attack the other group, the fight with the boar didn't last long either. Ethan managed to hold the boar back for a while, but it seemed as if the fight had been decided beforehand. The boar fought with all its might, but finally fell after several blows from the team.

Just as everyone was catching their breath, a gunshot rang out. Bringing us back to reality, we all ran in the direction Arthur had gone. When we reached the intersection after two minutes of running, we saw a large trail of blood leading toward an alley.

"Please don't let this be what I think it is..." I said, quickening my pace.

As we entered the alley, a figure was slumped against the wall at its end, a pool of blood spreading around the body.

My heart stopped. "Arthur..." I whispered, terrified.