There comes a time when you’re faced with a decision to fight or run when you are staring at a perceived inevitable death. In my experiences, I have come face to face with hundreds of monsters that this world offers. Before me, all the Rangers have written a compendium throughout thousands of years that I have read back to back. Throughout the kingdom, I have encountered drakes the size of buildings and Blood Feasters pack hunters that have dined on the blood of entire towns and villages. I even faced off against The King of the Iron Golems, a beast that almost wiped the entire Rangers off the map. I even faced the Queen of Sirens and her pet Kraken, which is indescribably, the largest thing in Jupiter’s Ocean.

But there is one beast that stands above them, all the Bestial Wolves. They are not the strongest creatures to walk Tharia, but they are still not to be looked down upon. Bestial Wolves are one of five creatures that can use magic like humans. To most, they appear as wolves, but that’s not their true appearance that is unknown to most except the most Elite Rangers. I only have fought one of them and that was when I was with my father and that fight almost cost him his life. Now as I stand here facing down five of them and having Rene off helping the citizens escape, I standalone against these very hard-to-kill legends, wondering if I should run or fight. But from the brief glimpse I caught of these wolves, I realized they are not fully grown; they’re children. Therefore, the answer is to fight because, although I will not emerge unscathed, I will emerge victorious. I say the Testament of Courage. The Rangers promise is always calms my heart before a battle.

“To the end, I am a Ranger of the Kingdom.” I knock two arrows I’ve dipped into a jar of Ghost’s Bane.

The monsters surround me, yipping to each other excitedly that they’ve found an easy kill.

“As I stand face to face with death, I shall not falter under its weight.” I draw the arrows back.

The monsters give off that foul smell they always do. “I will stand between the helpless and the aggressors, for I am there to keep those who can’t help themselves be safe.”

I can feel the monster’s blood lust leak and they’re ready to attack me. “Hear me now, creatures. I am Levi Hunt, son of Bartholomew Hunt, King of Rangers, and you shall know why they call us Hunt. Because you are not the hunters in the dark or the day. We are.”

Then they strike. I launch the arrows and dive and roll, already having two more arrows knocked. Two of the wolves ignite into a ghostly shade of grey fire. They disappear into the thick grey mist they have surrounded the area with. It is impossible to see the monsters or a few meters in front of you when they cover an area in this damned mist. I must fight with my sight almost completely forgone. My scent and hearing are still readily available for me to use and they are key for a Rangers’ success. The other three all take steps and I see the ground move and I dodge the swipes from their claws. Not all of them, I dodge as I can feel them try to rip into my armor. I jump up and dodge the swipe at my legs.

I shoot two more arrows into the beast in front of me and it lights up in the ghostly flames. I bounce off the ground on my heels and flip away from the others. A kick to my back takes me off balance, but that gives me a clue to where it is, and I jam an arrow behind me into the monster. I covered the arrow in Teave’s blood flames and it boils the beast’s blood from the inside. But then I feel my arm grabbed by one of them and, with a twist, it sends my bow flying off into the mist.

“Not bad. Take away my weapon and you think I’m helpless now.”

I grab onto the arm that has mine held and move my wrist back and out pops a small dagger in my sleeve, covered in Sirens Dream, a strong sedative. It stabs the beast in the throat and its grip loosens and I take a step back and pull out another dagger smeared with a drake’s acid. I slice at the stomach of the creature. It doesn’t cut the monster open but lets enough of the acid enter its system to cause damage.

A set of claws hit my back and this time they cut through the leather, a burning in my back. I fall to my knees and roll backward under the next swipes I feel coming by the swing through the air. I send a foot up into the jaw of the monster and luckily make contact, and for a split second, the actual face of the beast comes into the light. Hollow pits for eyes with a humanoid shape mimicking us to give them a form, teeth that are too large for its mouth claws big as short swords and sharp as razors.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Ghostly translucent skin showing all the organs beneath. With a click of my heel on the ground, a dagger coated in the venom of the Xylo serpent slips out through the front of my boot. I stab the beast in its genitals with a swift kick. The poison is necrotic instantly. It will eat through the genitals and the rest of the monster will rot away. It howls and I have to cover my ears as I feel my eardrum ready to rupture from the scream. One down.

I regain my footing and press a button on my wrist, causing my bow to retract towards me. I pause as it has gone quiet. The wolves seem to have gone quiet to lick their wounds. Terrible mistake you’ve given me time to prepare. Reaching into my hip pouch, I draw a broad-headed arrow and knock three of them, then I take a deep breath. Closing my useless eyes, I tie a scarf around them, completely shutting off the use of them. I listen to the world around me a trick my father and my sensei taught me from the first day I became able to train. Father believed humans use their sight too much because it is the easiest sense to get used to. He believed our hearing should be utilized just as much as our eyes, so for four months he had me keep a scarf around my eyes even while sleeping and bathing.

A scratch on the ground to my right makes me roll to my left. I fire off the arrow, hearing a howl as one of the broad-heads makes contact. Then I roll back away again as the broad head makes a clicking sound, and it explodes one down. A swipe at the front of my armor almost knocks the wind from me, but I plant my feet and swing my bow into the beast and feel a crunching contact with it. Both my arms are grabbed, locking me in place. I feel a bite on my shoulder. The pain is sharp and instantly burn from the poison. Weakness numb my muscles and I have exactly two minutes to kill the rest and administer the antidote before my heart stops.

Then they push me to the ground. I feel all four of them pile on top of me, clawing at me with all their strength, trying to get through my armor to the juicy meat beneath. I can’t see them, but I can feel the saliva on my face and the yipping of their delight at finally getting their meal. Their claws dig through my armor. An enchanted barrier I keep on my armor always protects my face, but even it will fail to their strength. These are pups barely three months old and Father faced down three full-grown ones himself that day. How can I die here to a few children when he gave me his spot on the Council? He chose me over my four older brothers for the spot of becoming the King of Rangers, and I swear I will not die.

The sounds of the world fade; the pain melts away as I focus on my metacore, and the mzynes in the air flow into my body. Then in one eruption spikes shoot from my body, impaling three of the wolves through their head and or hearts hopefully. Then I feel myself freed from their weight and push myself to my feet. I stumble, but use a spike that comes from the back of my thigh to keep me stable. What’s scary is I don’t feel any pain even though I know I am injured badly. The pain of these spikes coming through my skin is blinding every time. I take off my scarf and can see that the mist has cleared and I can sense four of the five are dead. One wolf remains, and it has taken on a form I can see now. It drips grey blood that singes the rocks of the mountain.

“Well, you survived.” I pull one of the spikes out from the dead wolf below my feet with a thought as the spike morphs into a spear. A weapon I am the best at using behind my bow, but I can still make use of it to finish this last wolf off.

The wolf howls and I can feel it beginning to gather in magic from the air and without hesitation I throw the spike right through its eye, dropping the wolf dead, stopping it from becoming fully grown.

“Fuck, that was close. If it would have grown right here, it would have taken Alva and Victoria to kill that thing.” Suddenly I fell on my back.

In extremely stressful situations, beastial wolves can use the mzynes in the air to fully grow themselves a defense mechanism, which makes them extremely dangerous.

“Shit, I can’t reach the vial in my pack.” Then a face appears over me.

“I gotcha.” A cold crisp and wintergreen flavor washes over my tongue as the antidote slips down my throat.

“Rene, did you get the citizens to safety?” I ask hoarsely.

She smiles. “Sure did. You seemed to have had a rough time. Sorry I didn’t get back sooner.”

I smile. “It’s fine. I am curious. What’s the damage?”

Rene looks me over. You have a ton of scratches and large cuts on your armor that are deep, but not deadly. You used your Spears’ Might ability, which you already know the damage that does to you. All in all, you won’t be moving for eight hours or so. Maybe more, but I’ll start the healing process as the antidote washes out the poison. And that is going to be the worst part. She smirks at me evilly.

“I am not looking forward to puking that stuff up. It tastes like rotten apples and sour milk.” I mentally shake at the thought and sigh.

I stare at the sky and smile. I did it. I survived and eliminated five of them. They weren’t fully grown, but I still accomplished it, which will earn me some beers back at the Rangers Tree Capital. Hopefully, this proves your decision to give me your seat on the council was not in vain, father. Then I think I pass out because everything goes dark.