'Fortis' the name echoed in Andrew's mind, attached to the sheer, terrifying presence of the large humanoid wolf.
"You little morsel!!! You've wandered into the wrong territory!!" a voice rumbled, it wasn't barks or growls, it was Fortis speaking.
"Territory? You can talk?" Andrew swallowed is saliva, his dagger feeling pathetically small in his trembling hand.
'A talking wolf with six-pack? This game is officially of the rails' Andrew declared mentally.
Fortis let out a short, humored bark that sounded like a chuckle.
"Hmm.. wasn't I suppose to talk before? You aren't the only one with brains here okay?"
"By the way thanks for the warm-up"
'Warm-up? I'm literally soaking in blood, my body aches and few new bruises are blooming. This is warm-up for him!!' Andrew was angry and scared at the same time.
[MISSION: KILL FORTIS]
The prompt appeared again but staring down at Fortis, Andrew felt a wave of fear wash over him. He stood no chance against this beast.
"Enough of the chit chat" Andrew said trying to sound barver. "I just want to level up and leave this dream."
Fortis tilted his head in confusion and humor.
"Level up? Leave the game?"
He bursted into a loud barky laughter.
His gaze turned cold and serious again. "This ain't an arcade game you quit when you're bored."
He took a step closer, his powerful frame casting a long, terrifying shadow over Andrew.
"This is survival, and right now you're looking like a tasty snack"
Panic flared in Andrew's chest. He knew he couldn't outrun Fortis. He was bigger, faster, and apparently, a lot smarter. His dagger was a toothpick against those claws. He needed a plan, and he needed one fast.
His eyes scanned the cave looking for what to use to defeat the beast.
'Dammit! Another reckless idea'
"You think you're strong?" Andrew teased hiding his fear. "You're just a big hairy.... talking dog!!"
Fortis snarled, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
"I'm the Alpha and this is where your game ends."
Immediately Fortis lunged, Andrew didn't attack directly. Instead, he rolled on the ground and slid towards the pool of blood, kicking as much liquid as he could in Fortis' direction. The thick dark blood splattered against Fortis face and chest.
It worked!! For a second though. Fortis roared in anger and swiped a claw across his eyes.
The idea wasn't much but it helped buy Andrew some seconds to hide behind a large rock. He could feel his heart hammering against his ribs. He was still alive, but for how long? He has angered a beast who could tear him into shreds in seconds. He was armed with only a flimsy dagger and a whole lot of neverending fear.
"You little insect" he yelled wiping the blood from his face. "You will pay for that."
'Yep.. I'm surely gonna pay' he thought in fear.
How could he possibly defeat that thing? He was just a nerdy gamer, trapped in a nightmare. He had no special skills, no powerful weapons .. nothing. He could become wolf chow anytime soon.
Hiding behind the cold rough rock, he could hear Fortis enraged growls. The Alpha's heavy footsteps pounded closer, each thud a drumbeat counting down to a likely gruesome end.
'Think Andrew! Think!' he muttered to himself, his fingers tightening around the dagger's hilt until his knuckles were white.
His gaze fell upon the scattered bodies of wolves. A grim deadly idea started to form in his mind. They were fast, agile...and now thankfully lifeless.
He risked a quick peek around the edge of the rock, breathing shakily. Fortis was busy pacing back and forth destroying rocks in search of him. The Alpha seemed more annoyed than injured by the blood splash.
He needed more than seconds. He needed an edge.
Moving as quietly as he could, he began to drag the nearest the dead wolf. It was heavier than it looked, grunting with effort he finally managed to drag the wolf to the back of the rock using its bulk as partial shield.
"Come out you little human!! I'm tired of playing hide and seek" Fortis roared in fury.
Andrew knew he couldn't hide forever, he needed to act fast. Gripping his dagger, he took another deep breath and burst from behind the rock. He didn't charge for Fortis but moved in the direction of the dead wolves.
Fortis immediately snarled and attacked but Andrew was moving with a desperate urgency as he started between the corpses.
He reached a relatively intact wolf, with all his strength thrown it towards Fortis expecting it to trip or slow down the angered wolf. The heavy carcass slammed into Fortis' legs, throwing him off balance for a crucial moments enough for Andrew to catch his breath again.
In that moment he ran to a wolf and snapped out one of its claw.
"You think damn carcass will save you" Fortis roared, irritated by Andrew's childish antics.
He immediately threw the claw at Fortis, which only landed on Fortis coarse, thick fur and fell to the ground.
'I really didn't think that through' he stupidly thought.
'Well I guess this is how it ends!! I didn't even get to disvirgin' he thought, losing hope.
"Huhhhh? What was that?" Fortis was more irritated.
As Fortis closed in, Andrew made another desperate move, ignoring Fortis once more. He used the uneven terrain to dart to the side to circle Fortis.
Fortis tracked him with incredible speed, fixing his gaze on Andrew.
"Impressive little pest.. you're too persistent for your size"
'Tchh.. persistent my foot' Andrew thought in disdain.
It wasn't enough, he needed a miracle or maybe a very stupidly brilliant desperate plan. His gaze fell again on the pool of blood and a more reckless idea surfaced in his mind.
'Dammit..I need to work on my plan thinking'
Ignoring the pounding in his heart and tremor in his limbs, Andrew took a deep breath and moved towards the pool of blood.
His life was finally at the fate of whether his stupid plan works or not.