Alec took a step closer to the fire as the growling moved nearer to the cave entrance. The flames crackled and shifted, casting uneven light across the stone walls, the glow flickering in his eyes as he tried to see into the darkness.
From the shadows, a large black wolf stepped forward into the firelight. Its red eyes locked onto him immediately, its lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth as a deep growl rumbled off the cave walls. It moved slowly, lowering its body closer to the ground as it crept toward him.
Alec didn't move.
His hands tightened around the short spear, gripping it as hard as he could. Blood dripped steadily from the wound where his pinky used to be, dark drops hitting the stone floor beneath him. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, but he forced himself to stay still, watching the wolf as it closed the distance.
The moment it lunged, everything happened too fast.
Alec tried to sidestep and thrust the spear forward, but he misjudged the speed of the attack. A sharp pain spread across his left shoulder as the wolf's claws sliced across his skin, the force of the impact turning his body slightly. The wolf landed and pivoted immediately, ready to strike again.
Alec reacted this time, driving the spear forward, but the tip only grazed along the side of the beast. The shallow wound did nothing to slow it. If anything, it made the wolf more aggressive.
It snapped its jaws toward his face.
The sound of its teeth slamming shut echoed inside the cave, close enough that Alec felt a cold rush run down his spine. He stumbled backward, trying to create space between them, his footing uneven as he adjusted his grip on the spear.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the pale green glow.
The armor.
Still sitting in the stone chair.
Alec's heel brushed the edge of the stone tile.
The wolf charged again.
Without thinking, Alec threw himself to the side as the wolf lunged forward, its claws scraping across the ground as it slid onto the stone tiles.
The armor moved.
It rose from the chair with a slow, grinding motion, dust and sediment shifting between its joints. The massive sword lifted into position as it took a single step forward, the movement controlled and precise.
Then it swung.
The blade cut cleanly through the wolf's body, splitting it in half with a single motion. Blood sprayed across the stone, the two halves of the wolf collapsing heavily onto the tiles.
Alec stared.
His eyes widened, but he didn't run.
Instead, he watched as the armor returned to its seat, lowering itself back into the chair and becoming still once again, as if nothing had happened.
His mind immediately replayed the movement.
The step forward.
The stance.
The angle of the swing.
Over and over again, the image repeated in his head.
Alec pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his short sword with both hands. He stepped forward, trying to mimic what he had seen, forcing his body to follow the same motion.
He swung.
The movement felt off.
His balance shifted too far, and he stumbled as the blade dipped at the end.
Alec reset his stance and tried again, focusing harder this time, but the result was the same. The motion didn't flow the way it had for the armor. His footing was off, his timing uneven.
Still, he kept going.
Time passed without him noticing. Each attempt brought small adjustments, slight improvements in how he stepped or how he controlled the blade. His arms began to ache, then tremble, but he didn't stop until he could no longer keep the movement steady.
Finally, he lowered the sword and walked back to the wall, sliding down into a sitting position while keeping his eyes on the armor.
That was when he noticed the faint blue glow.
Half of the wolf's body lay near the edge of the stone tiles, the light pulsing weakly from within it. Alec stared at it for a moment, already knowing he wouldn't step onto the tiles to reach it.
Instead, he grabbed the short spear.
Moving carefully to the very edge, he extended the spear and drove it into the wolf's flesh. The resistance slowed him at first, but he twisted the spearhead and pulled, dragging the body inch by inch toward him. His arms strained with the effort, and the wound in his hand began to throb again as he tightened his grip.
The armor didn't move.
But the faint green flame flickered as he worked, as if it were watching him.
After several minutes of effort, Alec managed to pull the corpse close enough to reach. He grabbed it by the front leg and dragged it fully off the tiles before crouching down and reaching into its chest.
The crystal inside was larger than any he had seen before, about the size of his fist, the blue light within it swirling faintly.
Alec leaned back against the wall and struck it with the pommel of his sword.
The crystal cracked.
A rush of cold spread through his body instantly, but it was followed by something far worse.
Pain.
It hit him in the chest first, sharp and overwhelming. Alec dropped the crystal and the sword as he doubled over, screaming in agony. The pain spread rapidly through his body, his muscles tightening as if something inside him was being pulled apart.
Then the cold returned.
It dulled the pain for a moment.
Then the pain came back again.
It repeated over and over, his body locking and releasing as if something inside him was snapping, again and again. His vision blurred, his breathing broke into gasps, and the world around him spun.
Then everything went black.
When Alec opened his eyes, the stone ceiling came into view slowly.
He blinked, disoriented, his breathing steady.
The pain was gone.
He sat up and pulled off his shirt, looking down at his side. The wound had completely healed, leaving behind only rough skin where the flesh had been torn.
He looked at his left hand next.
The pinky was still missing, but the wound itself had closed.
Alec flexed his fingers carefully.
No pain.
He pushed himself to his feet, testing his balance. His body felt different, lighter, stronger, as if the constant soreness he had grown used to had simply vanished.
A small smile formed on his face.
He grabbed his short sword without hesitation and stepped forward, repeating the swing he had seen from the armor. This time, the movement felt smoother, more controlled. His body responded faster, the blade cutting through the air with more force than before.
He repeated the motion again and again until his breathing deepened.
Finally, he stopped.
Alec let out a slow breath, then turned and grabbed the cart before heading back toward the deer carcass he had left behind.
He moved steadily through the forest, pushing the cart ahead of him, the sword resting across the handles within easy reach. The sky above shifted into deep shades of red and purple as the sun lowered, and a cold wind moved through the trees, brushing against his skin.
When he reached the marked spot, he walked over to the pile of dirt and leaves and kicked them aside. The deer was still there.
Alec let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He loaded the carcass into the cart and began the trip back, moving a little faster now as the light continued to fade.
By the time he returned to the cave, darkness had settled in.
The fire at the entrance cast a steady glow across the stone as Alec set the cart down and began working immediately. He cut the meat into strips and placed some over the fire alongside a potato from the sack, while the rest he hung carefully across a crude rack he had made.
If it worked, the meat would last.
He checked the hide next. It had begun to dry, uneven and rough, but usable. Alec nodded slightly before stepping back.
The green glow from inside the cave caught his attention again.
It seemed brighter now.
Alec turned toward the remaining bones and scraps of the deer and stood there for a moment before a slow, grim smile spread across his face.
He dragged the remains toward the cave and pushed them onto the stone tiles.
If something came, he hoped it would go for that first.
And if it stepped onto the tiles, the armor would kill it.
Alec glanced toward the stone chair.
The armor sat unmoving.
Waiting.
He turned back toward the fire, gripping his sword as his mind replayed the movement once more, the step, the stance, the swing and he found himself wondering what else the armor could show him.