The weather that night was especially brutal, and the wind whistled violently in Rize's ear. He could tell that walking out in this cold weather would be a very bad mistake. However, luckily, the small shelter he built was sturdy enough to protect him from this storm as he tried to find warmth in hugging his own knees.
For hours, he tried to get some rest as the night went on and on. At some point during the night, Rize opened his eyes slowly with a groan.
'Ugh, my back hurts so badly…' He clicked his tongue as he tried to adjust his position and return to sleep. However, at that moment, he heard something outside that made his eyes shoot wide open.
There was some rustling in the bushes nearby. Rize immediately put his hand on his sword. It was a very plain sword he brought with him as his primary weapon in fights. After all, he could not simply fight monsters and beasts with his bare hands.
'What was that?' He clenched his hand as he slowly moved to try and peek outside. However, it was so dark that seeing beyond a few meters was almost impossible. Rize felt unease creep into his heart. He sat there, in eerie silence as he tried to pick up on the noise.
Then, it happened again: another rustle. He instantly sprang to his feet as he took a fighting stance while still remaining hidden in the tree trunk. He learned how to hide and remain completely still from Geralt. After all, ambushing and sneaking behind targets was also a form of fighting.
'That isn't something small.' He clenched his teeth. 'Is it a beast? Or maybe the wind playing tricks on me?'
Waiting patiently, nothing happened for a while. His breath was slow and quiet, but his heart was racing rapidly.
'No movement… I wonder if it was the wind af-'
*Rustle*
At that moment, the bush rustled again, this time with even more violence. Then, it happened again and again and again while Rize remained motionless, the fear in his heart growing bigger and bigger even though he remained composed.
Then, suddenly, something appeared out of the bushes, and it was…
"A squirrel?" Rize frowned. He could see its small frame from a short distance, and it appeared to be a small squirrel. It looked cold and terrified as if it had no place to go. Seeing Rize, it suddenly rushed toward him and ran inside the tree trunk. The latter was confused, but he didn't react as he moved to the side.
The squirrel stood there and stared at him before it rushed to the corner and lay down.
"... Well, I guess now I have a roommate." He muttered as he stared outside. 'But it's so odd that it made that much noise. Must've been the win-'
*BOOOOOM*
Before that thought could even settle in his head, the entire tree suddenly shook violently. Rize's body slammed against it as he quickly grabbed his sword.
"What the hell?!!" He yelled as he looked up, only to see a large paw stretch from the darkness with its claws out as it slashed inside.
'Shit!' Rize was barely in time to dodge the claws from peeling his face off. However, as he leaned back, the claws were able to slice through his shirt, leaving a mark on his chest.
"Ugh!" Rize grabbed his chest as he quickly slashed with his sword. His blade hit the monster's paw and made it screech in pain. "Dammit! It got me!"
Rize could feel the warm blood seeping from the injury into his hand. It was bad, but he could tell it wasn't lethal, so he sucked a deep breath and leaned back just as the paw barged into the hole and attacked him. The entire tree shook violently as he heard the monster roar in the wind.
Rize swung his sword, trying to hit the monster. However, its rabid rampage in this small hole was a very big problem to deal with.
*BANG*
The paw slammed into Rize's sword as he tried to deflect the hit. However, it ended up crushing him to the ground as he tried to push it away. The weight of the hit was brutal on his arms.
"Get… off… me!!!" He yelled as he pushed it away and then slashed with his sword, hitting it again as it roared in pain and jumped back. Rize took that opportunity as he rushed out of the tree trunk. The wind slammed into his body, freezing him instantly. The temperature was cold enough to make his limbs numb in minutes. Coupled with the bleeding injury he had, things weren't looking good at all.
Looking ahead, the face of the monster finally emerged from the darkness and stared at him.
'A wolf…' He frowned. 'A pretty big one at that.'
"Grrrrrr!" The monster growled in anger at Rize. This human had hurt it a lot, and it was very pissed about it.
Stepping forward, it showed him its sharp fangs as it growled again.
'I can't run in this darkness, and fighting it is definitely going to be a big problem…'
However, did he have any other choice? Brandishing his sword, Rize tried to take several steps back to create some space. The monster understood what he was trying to do and instantly attacked with immense aggression. Leaping at him with its mouth wide open.
Rize instantly jumped to the side, barely dodging the moving monster. He rolled on the ground and landed on his feet before he dashed to the side. The wolf roared loudly and rushed after him.
*BANG*
Slamming its paw down, the boy had to leap again, barely dodging the hit as debris flew everywhere.
"Shit, one hit and I would be turned into a meat-"
*ROAR*
The monster attacked again, leaving no room for Rize to take a breather. The boy ran around, barely dodging deadly hits at the very last second. He had no chance to counter the attacks as the monster was way faster and far more adapted to its environment. The cold was affecting the boy's speed and reactions, making him sluggish.
His limbs were growing numb, and he could barely feel the sword in his hand.
"Agh!" Dodging another hit, Rize slammed against a tree. The wolf took that opportunity and attacked again. However, Rize recovered as he rolled to the side, letting the wolf slam head first into the tree.
The creature stepped back, delirious and in shock.
'Hm?' Rize saw that. 'Wait… Could that be?'
An idea suddenly popped into his head as he quickly looked all around him. 'That could actually work.'
With no time to waste, Rize instantly ran toward one of the trees. At the same time, the wolf regained its composure and rushed toward him with even more anger. The darkness around it made things appear less visible even with its special eyes.
As it closed in on him, he stopped and faced it.
"Come here, you ugly ball of fur!" He yelled. The creature felt riled up as it increased its speed and slashed with its paw. All the momentum it carried moved toward its claws. At that moment, Rize suddenly jumped to the side.
*BANG*
The wolf slammed into the tree again with immense power. It whimpered audibly.
'Now!' Rize instantly used that opportunity as he attacked the monsters, slashing its side with his blade. Blood gushed out of the injury, coating him instantly.
"ROAR!!!" The monster roared in pain as it instinctively threw its paw at Rize. The boy tried to retreat, but he was far too late.
The paw slammed directly into his body, sending him flying to the other side.