Chapter 282: Wendigo Attack II
I hadn’t even managed to put in a word when Darach sprinted off, baring his weapons.
Despite the lack of his wolf, Darach quickly proved that he wasn’t any much weaker than before like others would have assumed. He might not be as strong as he once was but with just a punch — aided by his weapon, of course — he managed to send the wendigo flying back. It groaned, the loud noise thrumming across the air as the monster stumbled back.
With Darach and Elder Otto’s help, Kyle quickly gained his momentum back once more. He surged forward, sinking his sharp teeth into the skeletal body before ripping a rib clean off. Fragments of bone soared across the air, and with the force of it, I had to dodge even though I was a distance away from the main battle.
With three against three, the odds soon turned in our favor. Kyle, Darach, and Elder Otto quickly took down the wendigos, their bodies collapsing next to the first monster quickly.
"Great job!" I cried out, rushing forward in joy.
Darach was panting loudly, his chest heaving up and down rapidly but there was undoubtedly a satisfied smile on his face. He looked down at his hands, spinning them around to look at the weapon with appreciation.
Perhaps even he didn’t think he had as much strength now to take down a fully grown wendigo so effortlessly.
However, our celebration was short-lived. Elder Otto and Kyle quickly growled, drawing Darach and my attention back to the forests of Thunderstrike’s borders. More glowing red eyes appeared through the foliage, and with a rush of wind, the smell of rotten eggs and decomposed flesh whipped into our faces.
"There’s more?!" Darach muttered, his voice filled with exasperation. Likewise, my face blanched. This was definitely more than the four to five Flora had mentioned she saw.
"There might be a nest of them nearby," I said with a gulp.
"Or they’ve smelled their companions’ deaths," Darach added. "Wendigos are sensitive to that. They feed on the dead― both in body and spirit."
My knees felt wobbly as I stared at the advancing pack of wendigos, their bodies hulking as their long arms dragged behind them, raking grass and dirt from the ground. The closer they got, the more their eyes seemed to glow, and the colder the air around us started to feel. Once they reached a certain point, the monsters broke into a run and headed right for us.
Kyle let out a menacing snarl before charging forward, Elder Otto following close behind him. Darach stayed behind only to offer me a glance before cursing under his breath, darting after them. He said nothing but with his expression, one thing was clear― I wasn’t to move anywhere nearer to the wendigos.
Yet, that was easier said than done. Milo and the other pack warriors hadn’t arrived yet despite Flora having left for quite some time, and the stream of wendigos seemed endless. There weren’t just one or two new ones, but a whole horde of them had come forward, charging at the three men as soon as the previous batch of wendigos had fallen.
One after another, the steady stream of monsters was endless, but their energy was not. Elder Otto’s movements had turned sloppy, and Darach was starting to miss his hits every now and then. Only Kyle managed to keep up, but it was more than obvious that he was starting to tire, his breaths heavy as he stared forlornly at the enemies.
Regardless, none of the men moved from their spots. If they did, the wendigos would be allowed to spread further into the pack. Those who lived on this side of Thunderstrike consisted of the weak and vulnerable. If the wendigos managed to break through their defenses, those pups were as good as dead unless backup arrived.
"Ah! Help me!"
My ears pricked to attention when I caught the unmistakable call of a young boy’s voice. Eyes widening, I took a step forward. However, I hadn’t made it far from Darach before he quickly stopped me.
"Harper, no!" he said. "Wendigos can sometimes mimic the voices of humans to lure their prey. You can’t risk it!"
"But that’s a child!" I cried out. "What if it really is Atlas calling for help? Are you going to sit here and let your pack member die?"
Darach pursed his lips, his eyes swirling with conflicted emotions, but he didn’t have the chance to answer. Right after, he gritted his teeth and dashed forward, pushing me out of the way before using his hands to hold down the skeletal jaws of the wendigo, clenching them tightly together so that it couldn’t bite us.
"Go! Get out of here!" he yelled, groaning as the wendigo began to force him back. Darach’s feet dragged through the dirt, plowing up soil. "Wait for Milo to come!"
"He might not make it in time!" I threw back.
"Harper!"
Ignoring Darach’s calls, I charged forward, pulling my weapon out from my back pockets. With a flick, it extended to its full size, and right in time.
With as much strength I could muster without losing my speed, I swiped my arm out, the sound of crisp silver hitting harshly against bone. A large crack reverberated, followed by a howling cry of the wendigo I had just injured.
Unfortunately, I had no time to finish the job. My objective was to get to the forest and get to the boy. I could only injure as many wendigos as I could on the way so that Kyle and the others would have an easier time taking these monsters down― silver was, thankfully, effective against many dark supernaturals. It wouldn’t heal so quickly.
My legs were burning from the sprint, but I didn’t dare to stop. I had made it to the edge of the forest without catching sight of the boy. When I finally broke through, a sudden quiet surrounded me. It was as though I had entered an alternate dimension away from the chaos and ruckus of the ongoing battle outside.
I panted, my shoulders rising and falling rapidly as I spun around, trying to search for a young boy.
Then, I caught sight of it. A pair of menacing scarlet orbs.
