"I thought I recognized your scent the moment I got here." Said the head guard with his smirk, pointing a sword at us.
"Please, you have to let me go. I'm innocent."
"And like I said earlier, I don't care." He shrugged. "Now both of you get up slowly and come out or else I'm going to call for the others." He threatened.
We did as he ordered but from the corner of my eye, I could see Mascot signal that he was up to something. "Why are you doing this?" I asked trying to buy time.
His grin widened, "because it's my duty." I nodded.
"Since you take duties serious, why don't you let me do mine?"
"And what could that be?"
"Find the person who framed me and finish him off." I stated as Mascot threw himself at the guard.
As the guard tried to step aside, Mascot pulled a thick branch from behind where he hid it in his cloth and whacked it across the guard's face. Before he could move, Mascot was on top of him snapping his neck in an instant.
Breathing heavily, he got up from the guard's lifeless body, taking a step forward, he stumbled to the ground.
"Mascot!" I called, rushing to his side. "are you ok?" He nodded but the ashen look he wore told me otherwise.
Giving him a quick once over look, I observed his hand was pressed to his bleeding side. "You were stabbed?"
"Yes, but not by the guard. The wound tore open when I charged at him."
"Let me take a look." I offered.
"Don't worry it's just a nick. Let's go." he said pushing to his feet.
"If you insist." I replied.
With that, we ran as fast as we could, with Mascot leading the way. The forest around us blurred into a haze of dark shapes and rushing air. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears as the cold wind bit at my face, but I pushed through it.
The thudding of our feet against the ground was drowned out by the howls that echoed behind us, growing ever closer. I glanced sideways at Mascot, whose determined expression didn't waver, even though he was struggling to keep pace.
I could see the blood seeping from the wound and gashes on his body, yet he moved with a determination that somehow made me believe we could make it out of this alive. After a while, we finally paused, catching our breath under the thick canopy of the towering trees. The silence that followed was eerie, too calm, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
"There. That's where Sarah stays." Mascot pointed to a part of the forest that seemed even more overrun with dense bushes and twisted vines. From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a tangled mess of vegetation, impossible to move through.
"I don't see anything," I replied, narrowing my eyes as I tried to make sense of what he was pointing at.
"You will when we get closer," Mascot assured me, though his voice wavered slightly, as if the effort to keep standing was taking its toll on him. We moved cautiously toward the direction Mascot had indicated, but before we could take more than a few steps, an unfamiliar voice cut through the stillness.
"And when will that be?" The voice was so close it sent a jolt of cold fear through me, paralyzing me for a moment. My heartbeat raced even faster, now thudding so violently I thought it might burst out of my chest.
I spun around, grabbing onto Mascot's arm instinctively, as if his presence could shield me from the danger I felt. My eyes darted around the dimly lit forest, landing on several figures I didn't recognize-men, all of them, spreading out in a wide arc, slowly encircling us.
These weren't the guards. But they definitely looked like the people that attacked us after I tried helping those villagers. My muscles stiffened.
This isn't good.
The tension in the air was suffocating. I could feel the pulse in my throat as one of the men, hidden in the shadows, stepped forward. His movements were calm, deliberate, like a predator toying with its prey before the final strike.
"I see you've controlled your fear. Your heart isn't quite ready to jump out of your chest anymore," the voice taunted again, this time much clearer. The man in the hood emerged fully from the group, his dark cloak rustling softly with the breeze.
I snarled, forcing myself to focus, my hands curling into fists. "Who are you, and what do you want with us?"
He chuckled, a sound so sinister it sent a shiver down my spine. "You've got it all wrong, little one. You don't do the questioning here. I do."
Mascot's grip on my arm tightened, and I could hear the tension in his voice. "This is a major problem," he muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the group with growing concern.
"I can see that," I replied, my voice low. But I wasn't sure I truly understood. Something about these men felt different, more dangerous than the guards we'd just escaped from.
"No, you don't," Mascot insisted. "See that marking under his right eye?" His voice was tense as he pointed to the man in front of us. "It's part of Eden's ranking system. Two marks-it means he's a general, someone with almost as much strength as an Alpha."
The man smirked, clearly enjoying the fear in Mascot's voice. "You seem to know a lot about us. I find that both surprising and... flattering."
It was then realization dawned on me. This wasn't just a bad situation; it was a nightmare.
"I hope you've still got some fight left in you," Mascot said, lowering himself into a defensive stance. "Because there's no escaping this one."
I clenched my fists tighter, feeling the familiar burn of adrenaline flood my system. "Do I really have a choice?" I replied, trying to keep the panic from creeping into my voice. There was no way out. We either fought or we died.
The general sneered at us, amused by our defiance. "Do you truly think you can escape Lord Eden's grasp today?" His voice was thick with arrogance. "Think again."
Without warning, the general sped forward, and everything erupted into chaos. Mascot lunged at him, their bodies colliding with the force of their strengths.
The rest of the men charged at me in a blur of movement, and I was barely able to throw myself to the side before one of them slammed into the spot where I'd just stood. I ducked under the swing of a sword, narrowly missing the sharp edge.
My senses heightened, and I could feel every breath, every shift in the air as they attacked. One of the men came at me from behind, but I spun quickly, delivering a swift kick to his gut, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.
Mascot was fending off two men at once, his movements quick but clearly pained as his wounds began to slow him down. I could hear him grunt with each blow, but he didn't back down. If anything, the sight of blood on his hands only seemed to fuel his determination.
Suddenly, another attacker lunged at me, his dagger aimed at my throat. I barely managed to twist out of the way, the blade grazing my neck as I knocked his hand aside. He stumbled, and I took the opportunity to sweep his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.
But there were too many of them. More men poured out from the shadows, their movements precise, calculated. No matter how hard we fought, we were being overwhelmed.
Mascot let out a roar, slamming one of the men into the dirt, but his strength was fading. Blood stained his clothes, and I could see the exhaustion written all over his face.
"Come on!" I yelled, trying to get to his side. "We need to retreat!" He shook his head, breathing hard. "We won't make it if we keep running." I looked around frantically, searching for some kind of advantage. There had to be a way out of this-some kind of escape route, something we'd missed.
But before I could even formulate a plan, the general's voice cut through the chaos again, sharp and commanding. "Enough!"
His men stopped immediately, stepping back in unison as if controlled by a single mind. My heart pounded in my chest as the general strode toward us, his eyes gleaming with a cold light.
"Impressive," he said, glancing at the fallen men around him. "But it's over now." I stood frozen, unsure of what to do next. Mascot staggered toward me, his breathing labored, and I could see the blood dripping from his side. He was barely standing.
"You've fought well," the general continued, his tone almost mocking. "But Lord Eden's grasp is unbreakable. You will not leave this place alive." I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat.
Mascot took a step forward, his body trembling with the effort to stay upright. "We'll see about that," he growled, his voice rough but filled with a final resolve.
The general laughed. "Brave words for a dying man."