The world seemed to slow down. Daren lay beneath that thing, the blood from his severed arm spreading across the snow, his expression trembling with fear… and I couldn't move, again.
That same emptiness in my chest, that pressure crushing me every time something truly mattered. How many more times was I going to stand still? How many more times was I going to watch others fight and bleed while I just… stood there like a helpless idiot?
I felt anger and desperation to act, I felt my heart pounding in my chest… but my legs wouldn't respond. As if they didn't belong to me.
Coward. The same word crossed my mind again and again in all these situations.
I always hesitate, I always need someone else to act first, Rowan, Serin, even Claire… and me…
'Move.'
I didn't.
The panlagor lowered its head.
'Move.'
My fingers trembled around the sword, uselessly, at this point I wasn't even sure if I really knew how to use it.
Daren was still there, just a few steps away, about to die… because of me.
Before my eyes, the world kept slowing down, as if it gave me plenty of time to see exactly what I was becoming, someone who survives… at the expense of others.
"No…", my voice barely came out.
Something inside me ignited, "NO!"
The pulsar responded and spread like a torrent through my entire system, reaching my arms, chest, legs… and my sword.
I kicked the ground hard, launching a rock that struck the side of its head. The panlagor jerked violently and turned its gaze toward me. It was about to let out a furious growl, but didn't manage to.
I had already closed the distance.
I advanced the few meters between us and unleashed a slash with all the force of my pulsar straight at its face.
The beast dodged it… but not completely.
The blade tore deeply into its jaw, ripping it open. It took a step back, its head tilting. It tried to growl, but the sound came out distorted, choked by the blood pouring in bursts from its hanging, mangled mouth.
I didn't stop.
I clenched my teeth and advanced again, raising my sword for another strike. The fear was still there, but something was pushing it back, I wasn't going to let it take over, not this time.
The panlagor reacted.
Its paw rose and came down diagonally toward me. I managed to block with my sword, but the impact made me stagger.
I pushed back and broke free, rolled to my left, swung my sword again toward its neck, but the moment it struck, the blade got stuck between the plates of its armor.
I tried to pull back, but it wouldn't budge. The beast lowered its head toward me, its hot, blood-filled breath hitting me full on, its eyes locking onto mine.
And its paw rose again, I wasn't going to make it, I let go of the hilt immediately.
A second later, the panlagor's paw crashed down where my head had been, crushing the ground with a dull impact. I rolled back, dodging the blow by milliseconds.
"Now!"
I looked up.
Rowan was already on top of the beast, sword in hand, delivering a direct strike to one of its hind legs. The blow didn't cut it off completely, but it made it lose its balance.
Serin appeared an instant later.
A dagger flew and lodged into the side of the panlagor, right between two plates. She vanished and reappeared next to the dagger. Without hesitation, she drove her sword with all her strength into the same opening.
The panlagor roared, this time with a completely distorted sound, its body shaking violently. It spun around, trying to reach her.
Claire was already on the other side, crawling toward Daren. She grabbed him as best as she could, ignoring the blood, "Hold on!" she said, desperate.
The panlagor charged toward Serin, she disappeared again. The beast slammed into the ground where she had been a moment before, sending snow and debris flying.
"Luke!" Rowan shouted.
I turned to him.
"Your sword!"
I saw it immediately, still stuck between the plates. And without thinking much, I ran.
I lunged toward the panlagor's side, barely dodging another clumsy charge, and grabbed the hilt. I pulled with all my strength, but it didn't come out.
"Damn it!" I spat.
The panlagor turned toward me again.
I clenched my teeth, the pulsar flowed back into my arms, concentrating in my hands.
"Get out…!" Rowan started.
I pulled, the metal creaked, and finally gave.
The sword came free in a sudden motion, breaking out of the armor. I reinforced my blade with all my pulsar again and didn't lose the momentum.
I spun and unleashed an upward slash straight into the exposed neck of the beast.
This time it went in, the blade cut through flesh and deeply into its neck between the gaps in its armor.
The panlagor shook violently, letting out a muffled roar. It staggered back, while more blood poured out.
For a moment I thought the bastard would keep fighting, but seconds later it collapsed onto the cold ground.
I sighed.
The air left me heavy, trembling. My hands were still tense around the sword, still charged with pulsar. The beast's blood dripped from the blade, dark against the snow.
"…Shit, shit, your arm…", as soon as I heard Claire's voice I turned quickly and ran toward where Daren was.
"Ca… cough, cough …calm down, I'll be… fine, the medicine… from before… is still working… I'm not bleeding out", Daren said with difficulty as he got up.
"Daren, I…", I lowered my head, "…I'm sorry, if I had acted faster, you wouldn't have…"
He interrupted me and grabbed my shoulder, "Don't say that again… you… saved my life".
My eyes widened when I heard that, I didn't agree with what he was saying at all, but…
"Stop talking, it'll make it worse", Claire said as she took his arm and rested it on herself again.
"Let's go before someone comes here, we made a lot of noise, but it'll probably scatter with everything that's happening", Rowan said quickly.
Right as he finished speaking, someone coughed and a dull thud hit the snow. We all turned at once, it was Serin, who had fallen onto her back.
Her mouth was covered in blood and she was breathing with difficulty.
"Damn, she overstrained her body, she used her daggers too many times today", I said while jogging toward her.
"Relax, I'll carry her", Rowan stepped ahead of me and lifted her into his arms, "Let's go".
We all followed what he said and began heading toward the forest as fast as we could.