Chapter 45: No Choice

Rierdan and Nessa weren't the only ones affected by the tiger's intimidation, but they were the only ones that passed out. The tiger only stunned and froze Dukiel, Anerias, and Violina in fear, rendering them barely better than statues. It also affected the Blackfire Hound.

The Sentinel and Ice Spirit weren't affected by the tiger's intimidation. They were just too slow to react in time to the tiger's movements. By the time they started to move and charge lasers or conjure shards of ice, the tiger was already on the other side of the group.

It would be impossible for the familiars to strike the tiger. If they were lucky, they wouldn't hit anything. If they were unlucky, they would hit the students.

And before the familiars could try anything else or their masters could wake up and give them any commands, Yanael and Zach had already chased away the tiger.

Zach looked at his classmates.

"You guys alright?"

Violina glanced at Zach before sitting down next to him.

"Nope. That shit was scary." Violina rested her arms on her knees and looked at the ground in front of her with a blank stare.

Anerias sighed and also took a seat next to Zach.

"...I've never liked cats." Anerias patted next to him, and his Hound curled up and pressed against him.

"I think that the tiger intentionally didn't kill me and Julius to lure us out." Dukiel's voice was apologetic as he also sat down after checking on Rierdan and Nessa. It was his judgment that led to them heading out into the forest in pursuit of the tiger. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have almost died, and Rierdan and Nessa wouldn't be lying on the forest floor, out cold like two ice cubes.

"The same trick would have worked on all of us. The bastard's clever." Violina raised her head and glared into the darkness between the trees.

Zach and Anerias nodded.

After what the tiger had just shown, it was clear it wouldn't have struggled to prey on Dukiel and Julius.

"Do you guys think it's something the instructors arranged?" Anerias glanced around while patting his Hound, comforting and calming it.

"Could be." Zach shrugged. "Doesn't matter, though."

The instructors had already made it clear they wouldn't interfere. It didn't even seem like they were supervising or keeping track of anything other than when they arrived at the camp and what the students did there.

Jarron had also made it seem like he fully thought Dukiel and Julius were dead before they arrived.

He could be a good actor and it was all part of a test meant to make them take this seriously.

But it could also be serious.

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After the killing intent the tiger showed them, none of them doubted that the tiger would kill every last one of the students if it got the chance, and it would start with Zach, Dukiel, Anerias, Violina, Rierdan, and Nessa.

"So, should we go back?" Zach asked as he glanced at Rierdan and Nessa. If the tiger hadn't gone for him but one of the others instead, it would likely have succeeded.

"Fuck no." Violina didn't hesitate. "I'm not leaving this forest until that bastard's dead."

Anerias also glanced at the other two before answering. He then looked at his Hound.

"I don't think me or my familiar will be able to sleep without knowing it's dead."

"...Let's wait and hear what Rierdan and Nessa have to say. But what do you think, Zach?" Dukiel looked at Zach. So did Anerias and Violina, curious to hear what he would say since he was the only one who had managed to fight back against the tiger's killing intent.

"Personally, I can do whatever. More realistically, that tiger isn't letting us go. It's coming back, whether we want it or not. What we can decide, however, is if it's coming when we think we're safe or if we come for it." Zach's words made them realize that it didn't matter what their choice was.

The tiger had already set their sights on them.

"Then why…?" Anerias wanted to ask Zach why he asked them if they should go back in the first place. He couldn't quite find the words for it.

Zach met Anerias' eyes and understood what he wanted to know, but Zach just shrugged and played with a leaf he picked off a flower, tearing it into tiny pieces.

Dukiel looked between Zach and Anerias, wondering if either of them were going to say anything. The last they needed was another heated discussion, which the two of them had shared on occasion. Fortunately, it didn't seem like this was one such time, and the two remained silent until Rierdan and Nessa woke up.

When they did, Dukiel told them what happened and their current situation.

The two were understandably scared since even their familiars had been unable to withstand the tiger's killing intent.

"I say we hunt it down and show it who the real predators are." Ness clenched her fist tight and spoke with a strong voice that fit her spirit more than her small stature.

Rierdan hesitated. He was scared out of his wits, even after waking up and escaping the tiger's killing intent. It still felt like his heart had stopped beating.

Eventually, he just sighed and accepted his fate. It was kill or be killed. It was already too late.

"...I don't want to die." Rierdan hung with his head, and his voice was weak. But he still set out to fulfill his task and guide the others through the forest, helping them track down the tiger.

Zach patted Rierdan on the shoulder with a friendly smile.

"Don't worry, Rierdan. Nobody's going to die with me here." Zach's words were warm and would have raised the group's spirits since they sorely needed and wanted some hope. It was also the person who had just saved them from the tiger who said it. The strongest in their tiny group.

But it was for that very reason that the group couldn't find any hope in what Zach had said.

It was Zach who said it.