(Meanwhile Garron and Company)
"ARGHHHHH—!"
The agonized scream of a human voice suddenly entered the ears of Garron and the children, as after spending the previous several hours listening to nothing but the distant cries of beasts echoing throughout the forest, this was the very first time that an unmistakable human voice had reached them.
"Riven!"
Mary shouted almost immediately without needing a second thought.
However, while she seemed completely convinced that the voice belonged to Riven, Garron simply frowned, as without saying another word, he immediately rushed toward the tallest tree nearby before beginning to climb it, intending to rise above the forest canopy and determine exactly where the scream had come from.
Using Aether to strengthen his legs, Garron leapt from branch to branch with practiced ease, as within only a few moments, he had climbed above the dense forest canopy and gained a clear view of the wilderness stretching out in every direction.
From that height, his eyes immediately began sweeping across the forest below, as his first priority was never to identify who had screamed, but rather to determine whether the voice belonged to a lone individual or a larger group that might already be pursuing the children.
For several long moments, Garron searched the darkness without success, until eventually his gaze settled upon a narrow hillside pass, where a lone boy desperately struggled against the enormous silhouette of a Night Panther.
"It’s that boy..."
He muttered quietly, as he recognized Riven even from that distance.
"It’s a miracle you’ve managed to make it this far..."
Garron continued, as from his perspective, the fact that Riven had somehow survived the journey through the forest alone and nearly caught up to them already bordered on the unbelievable.
"But I suppose this is where you fall."
He muttered, as despite feeling a quiet sense of admiration for the boy’s determination, the rational part of his mind had already accepted that the battle’s outcome was inevitable.
"It’s a shame because another hour of chasing after us..."
"... And you probably would’ve caught up."
He concluded, as after letting out a quiet sigh, he shifted his weight and prepared to climb back down from the tree, believing there was no longer any reason to watch a battle whose ending seemed so painfully obvious.
However, just as he was about to descend, he found himself hesitating, as despite knowing that Riven’s chances of survival were next to none, something within him quietly compelled him to remain where he was.
’I know he’s going to die, but...’
Garron thought, as after clicking his tongue in frustration, he paused to watch the battle for just a little while longer.
—-------
(Meanwhile Riven)
The moment Riven grabbed the sword, he immediately pointed its sharpened tip towards the Night Panther, as the beast instinctively abandoned its lunge on Riven before springing clean over him to land several meters behind instead.
*Land*
Riven’s mind worked at full speed, as despite the Night Panther standing only a few meters away, he forced himself to ignore the fear threatening to overwhelm him and instead focused entirely on finding the smallest possible chance of survival.
’I must not die here....
I have to survive....
But how?
How do I even begin to kill a beast that’s twice my size and probably twice as fast as me?’
Riven wondered, as thankfully, the moment the Night Panther saw the sword in his hand, it seemed to become noticeably more cautious than before, as instead of relentlessly charging at him again, it began circling him instead, while Riven instinctively mirrored its movements to keep the distance between them unchanged.
*Step* *Step* *Step*
’There is no realistic scenario where I can kill this beast outright.
Trying to hit its neck or heart is simply too risky given its speed.
The only way I can win this fight is if I somehow manage to execute the same maneuver Garron demonstrated during training, while finding an opportunity to drive the sword straight through its midsection....’
Riven concluded, as he understood that unless he found some way to dramatically increase the force behind a single sword thrust, the wooden weapon was never going to penetrate deeply enough to kill the massive beast.
However, while he understood that much, the problem with this plan was that despite spending weeks trying to replicate Garron’s technique, he had never once successfully managed to synchronize the Aether flowing through his body with the movement of the sword itself during training.
Which meant that, it was unlikely that he could suddenly replicate it now.
’It’s not the best plan....
But it’s the only one I’ve got.’
Riven thought, as his mind immediately shifted towards the next problem, which was finding an opportunity to actually strike.
’It’s too fast for me to pin down under normal circumstances.
The only way I can maybe create an opening is if I somehow limit its options of movement....’
Riven concluded, as his eyes briefly shifted towards the cliff behind him.
’If I position myself near the very edge, the panther won’t be able to freely leap over me from above without risking its footing.
That should force it to attack from a much narrower angle....’
Riven thought, as although it was an incredibly dangerous gamble to go closer to the cliff, he still felt that it offered him a slim possibility of success if everything somehow went his way.
’One mistake and I could either fall off the cliff...
Or straight into the beast’s jaws.’
Riven thought, as he abandoned moving in a circle, and slowly began shifting towards the cliff’s edge.
*Step* *Step*
Without taking his eyes off the beast for even a single moment, he cautiously retreated backwards, as almost immediately, the Night Panther began closing the distance between them.
*Soft Step* *Soft Step*
Rather than attacking recklessly, the beast lowered its body and began weaving from side to side, as though patiently searching for the slightest weakness before committing to its next assault.
As for several long moments, neither of them rushed nor looked away, the distance between them remained almost unchanged while the tension steadily grew with every careful step Riven took backwards.
’Damn it...’
Riven thought, as he could already feel the remaining Aether circulating inside his body beginning to run dangerously low.
’I only have enough Aether left to attempt this once.’
He thought, as he tightened his grip around the wooden sword.
’It’s either this...
Or death.’
He concluded, as warm blood continued flowing from the deep wounds across his chest and soaked through his torn clothes while the adrenaline surging through his veins barely allowed him to notice the burning pain any longer.
Then, without the slightest warning, the Night Panther finally attacked.
The beast exploded forward with frightening speed before rising onto its hind legs, as one enormous paw swept downward towards Riven’s face with enough force to shatter bone.
While at that exact same moment, Riven stepped forward instead of retreating, as he completely ignored the descending claws racing towards him and instead drove the wooden sword straight towards the Night Panther’s chest while desperately attempting to recreate the very same Aether technique Garron had demonstrated only days before.
As everything...
Came down to this single strike.