Chapter 106: This is going to get ugly

CALEB I didn't have time to answer to that. The creature turned, and I saw its bright red eyes, glowing furiously in the darkness. It was massive, with long, powerful limbs and a jaw full of razor-sharp teeth. It let out another growl, a sound that sent a chill down my spine. 'Spread out!" Marcus yelled, moving to the left. I shook myself out my three second starstruck syndrome and nodded, moving to the right. We circled the creature, probably thinking of the same thing: How do I kill this thing? The creature watched us with those glowing eyes, its muscles tensed, ready to strike. 'Any ideas?" I asked, my voice tight with tension. 'Yeah." He replied, keeping his eyes on the creature. 'Don't get eaten." '..." 'Great plan." I muttered. 'I'll keep that in mind." The creature lunged again, faster this time. I had barely managed to dodge, feeling the rush of air as it passed. On instinct, I swung my dagger, and almost smiled when I caught it across the side, but the blade barely made a scratch. 'It's too fast." I said, trying to catch my breath. 'We need to slow it down." 'Working on it." Marcus replied, raising his hand. He muttered something, as a faint blue light misted around his fingers. 'Just…keep it busy." I narrowed my eyes. 'Right. Keep it busy. No problem." Keep it busy and not get crushed. No setbacks there. I lunged forward, darting to the left, and swinging to the right. The creature followed my movements, keeping its eyes locked on me. I could see its muscles tensing, preparing to strike. I had to time this perfectly. 'Now, Marcus!" I shouted. Marcus thrust his hand forward, the blue light shooting out in a wave. The wave hit the creature in the chest, knocking it back. It let out a roar of pain, convulsing its body as the magic took hold. 'Nice shot." I said. 'Don't get cocky." He replied, his voice strained. 'It's not over yet." The creature was still moving, struggling against the magic. There was a whole lot Marcus didn't tell me. Like since when did he practice magic? Did he know things like this would try to eat us alive? I had anticipated for creatures like wolves or hyenas, even bears. But… I could see the strain on Marcus's face, the sweat beading on his forehead. He couldn't hold it for long. 'Get ready." He said, his voice tight. 'When I let go, hit it with everything you've got." I nodded, pulling up my dagger. Adrenaline flooded my veins, making my heart pound painfully. I wanted to kill this thing. This was it. Their chance. 'Now!" He shouted, releasing the spell. The creature lunged forward, a little more sluggish but still dangerous. I paused, waited until the last second, then swung the dagger with all my strength. The blade sank deep into the creature's side. It let out a howl of pain, thrashing wildly. 'Marcus!" I pulled back. Marcus was already moving, his sword slashing through the air. It sliced the creature across the neck, the blade cutting deep. The creature let out one last, desperate roar before collapsing to the ground, its body twitching, and blood pooling. 'Is it…is it dead?" I panted. He nodded, wiping his sword on his sleeve. 'Yeah. It's dead alright. Never thought I'd see one of these." I let out a sigh of relief, before collapsing to the ground. 'Good. Because I don't think I could handle another round of that." He chuckled, sitting down beside me. 'You did good, Caleb. Real good." I smiled, for the first time in a while, and shut my eyes. Exhaustion was setting in, and my body was aching from the fight. But we were alive. And that was enough. 'We should rest," Marcus said, his voice soft. 'Just for a bit." I was too tired to argue. I relaxed further, letting the darkness take me. But our rest was short-lived. The sound of rustling leaves snapped me awake. I sat up instantly, instinctively dagger. 'What is it?" Marcus asked, his voice growing alert. I held up a hand to silence Marcus, and scanned the dark forest. The rustling grew louder, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps. Whatever was coming toward us was big, probably bigger than the creature we had just fought. When does it end? We hadn't even gotten Phoenix Feather Ash yet. What would happen then? 'Do you hear that?" I whispered, my voice tense. Marcus nodded, gripping his sword tightly. 'Yeah. And I don't think it's friendly." The footsteps grew closer, the ground vibrated violently. The trees swayed, and branches snapped as something massive pushed its way through the forest. 'We need to move." He said, his voice filled with urgency. 'Now." I didn't have strength to argue. I scrambled to my feet, helping Marcus up. We turned and ran in the opposite direction, sprinting through the forest as fast as our legs could carry us. The creature let out a deafening roar, shaking the foundations of the forest. 'What is that thing?" Marcus shouted over the noise, glancing back. 'I really don't want to find out!" I replied, dodging a tree. We ran for what felt like hours, and my lungs burned, my legs ached. The creature was gaining on us, its heavy footsteps growing louder with each passing second. Fear rose in my chest, threatening to overwhelm me. But I pushed it aside quickly. 'There!" Marcus shouted, pointing ahead. 'A clearing!" I saw it, just a small patch of open ground ahead. We ran quickly towards it, bursting out of the trees and into the open. But as soon as we did, I realized our mistake. The clearing was a dead end, surrounded on all sides by thick, towering trees. We were trapped. 'We're cornered." I turned to face the forest. 'What now?" Marcus looked around, his eyes wide with panic. 'We have to fight," he said, his breathing ragged. 'We have no other choice." I nodded, gripping my dagger tightly. The creature was a massive, hulking figure moving through the trees. It was bigger than any werewolf I had ever seen, and its body was covered in thick, matted fur. Its eyes glowed a bright, unnatural yellow, and it bared its dagger-like teeth. 'Get ready." He said, his voice steadying. 'This is going to get ugly."