Until You Die

Miless arm waved at a beckoning gesture, trying to call the man running.

Miles: ”Go! Go! Go! Just RUN! Ive got you covered! ”

When the man saw support, he ran at full speed. He didn even try to run around the massive fountain. He just jumped straight into it.

— Splash!

His pants were wet, untroubled by it as he kept running at the fountains water.

— Splash! Splash! Splash!

When he got to the corner of the fountains wall, the man leaped from it. He kept running until he got to the path of the town where he saw Miles.

Miles can now see the mans face. The mans face looked delicate. An other-worldly face that can be called beautiful or handsome. Miles could not differentiate as the man in front has an androgynous characteristic.

A strong jawline and yet, has long, beautifully curved eyelashes. His thin brows are furrowed, covering his emerald eyes. He barely has any facial hair. It was self-evident because his face was smooth as paper, not a beard at sight. What makes the mans gender more confusing is his long blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

The only thing that keeps Miles from calling him a woman is how Ellia addresses the benefactor. Man, him and he.

While Miles was looking, the man had already run past him and said.

”You have my gratitude, kind stranger! I shall never forget this debt. ”

Don mention it. Ill make you pay ten times larger than your actual debt.

Miles muttered. It annoyed him that the man was witless enough not to evacuate. Because of him, he and Ellia got devoured by some skinless dogs.

He will only be satisfied if he gets considerable compensation for the hell the man has put Miles and Ellia in.

Miles let the man run first to cover him from the several dogs. What he saw was six dogs leaping through the fountain, almost drawing near to their location.

He readied his bow and shot five arrows.

— Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang!

Then — swish, as the arrow flew off. Some arrows missed their marks, but two dogs got knocked down. An arrow had pierced their body. They had tumbled down, but other dogs did not care as they stampeded their fallen comrades bodies.

He only shot the dogs close to his distance, which was enough. He ran with all his might. Miles followed the two small silhouettes, he kept running, and the silhouettes kept getting bigger, and the outlines of their body were getting more detailed.

It was Ellia and the man.

The man had kept up with Ellia, and Miles had followed the pace of those two.

He paced up to the man and said.

Miles: ”How the hell do you run so slow! ”

”Im sorry, kind stranger, but this is the only speed I could muster with my current body. ”

Miles: ”Tsk! You
e gonna get us killed. Run like you mean it, ass wipe! ”

The man looked at him in amazement. He did not know why he deserved such name-calling. Nevertheless, he was not bothered by it. He smiled in amusement as the insult he received was unique, and it was his first time hearing it.

”Ass wipe? — Hahahaha! What a unique name. I shall take that as a compliment, my kind stranger. ”

Miles: ”Im not complimenting you! Why would—Just **ing run faster, Ass Wipe! ”

”Unfortunately, I am injured. As you can see, My legs are very torn apart. Im not even sure if Im allowed to move at my current state — Hahaha! ”

While running, the man momentarily lifted his leg. He could not help himself ‌from hopping while running when he lifted his leg. The leg was severely damaged as it protruded a bone. Several dogs clearly did a number on the mans leg. It looked like the whole calf of the leg was ripped apart, and only bone remains.

It nauseated him to see such a gruesome sight, Miles looked behind him, and his eyes dilated in shock.

What the…

What Miles saw was a long trail of blood reaching out far to the fountain. The blood just kept dripping from the mans leg that it made a trail.

Miles couldn help but ask.

Miles: ”How the ** are you still alive!? ”

”Well, if any person really puts their minds into it, they can live longer. ”

Miles: ”You are not making any sense. You have been running for how long? How are you still alive? ”

”Kind stranger, I have been on the run for three hours, and two hours ago, my leg got chewed apart. Im using the remaining mana to reinforce my leg as I forcefully put the other mana to move my leg. ”

He cannot comprehend looking at an unearthly state of a body. How can a man such as him run for three hours with a leg that lacks muscle and has been dripping blood for what — two hours? Even still no human could live as long as that. He knows for sure that the man should have been long dead.

Is he messing with me?

Miles thought to himself. If he thinks about it, that is the only possible explanation. Running with a torn leg for 2 hours. He knows its impossible.

He should have died from the loss of blood. Using Mana? What is he, a child or someone with an eight-grade syndrome?

Miles could understand Ellia when she said stuff like magical devices. It was okay because Ellia was a child. The man has no excuses for saying things like that.

Miles thought the man was mocking him in a difficult situation like this. He was offended and looked at the man with a hostile gaze and said.

Miles: ”Don ** with me! Do I look like Im trying to play games with you!? ”

”Kind sir, I assure you that I am indeed serious. ”

Miles raised his middle finger and said.

Miles: ”Oh yeah!? How about you stick this into your as— ”

Ellia: ”Please, Miles, stop! Sir Theodore is already badly wounded. Fighting him will only make it much worse. ”

Miles: ”Im not. Why would I fight him? I am calm when talking with — Yes, I apologize and would never do it again. ”

Miles was planning to excuse himself but could not do it when Ellia looked at him. Her cuteness is enough to make him apologize.

Ellia resumed speaking.

Ellia: ”What Sir Theodore needs is to get out of here and rest. He has been through enough. Please, lets just focus on getting out of here. ”

What Ellia said was correct. Miles felt ashamed when he was aggravated with Ellias benefactor, or should he say Theodore. Even though the benefactor was the reason, he and Ellia got brutally devoured by dogs. It was still not enough reason to be an asshole in a problematic situation. His bickering might be their downfall. He apologized once more, but this time it was sincere.

Miles: ”Im sorry, Ellia. ”

Ellia: ”Ah, N-no. Im not mad at you or anything. ”

The man, supposed to be named Theodore, looked at them with a warm smile. After the two finished talking, he looked at Ellia and said.

Theodore: ”Ellia, my dear. You haven answered my question yet. Why are you here? You know how ghastly dangerous this town is, especially at this night. ”

Ellia: ”I-I don know what you
e talking about. The knights and priests only evacuated the people. They didn say there would be danger in this town. ”

Ellia said while playing with her hair. Theodore saw her reaction and smirk as he spoke.

Theodore: ”I see. What you
e trying to say is that you sneaked outside the orphanage again and went into this town. Because of that, you happen to see the knights and priests evacuating the people. ”

Ellia: ”U-um, no, you
e wrong. ”

Ellia was sweating, seemingly flustered that she was read like a book.

Theodore: ”You waited for me all night, didn you? Why else would you know that I did not evacuate? Im not mad or anything. Rather, Im grateful to you. Well, now, are you blushing? Oh, My dear, aren you cute as a button? ”

A puff of mushroom bloomed on top of Ellias head as the last remark completely flustered her. She just hung her head low trying to hide her red face.

Miles looked at their interaction. It seemed they had been talking a while back before he rudely interrupted them. He also looked closely at Ellia on how she reacted to the man. She looked like a maiden in love with how she twirled her hair and tried to hide her flustered face. Seeing such a sight, he smiled warmly.

No wonder you
e trying so hard to save him, but unfortunately, this will be a one-sided love for you as your age gap is largely apart by that man. It might be better that way, though.

He thought as he prayed for the girls future endeavors.

They kept running even when they were talking, but several dogs had kept up with them. Miles didn look back to know they were there. Rather, he can hear them up and running through the rooftops. The dogs were running on the left side of the street.

You have got to be kidding me!

— Tap! Tap! Tap!

Miles could hear the dogs running faster on the rooftops as the roof bricks fell down.

With the bow in his hands, he pulled the string backward as he placed an arrow on the string. He finally looked back and shot three arrows.

— Twang! Twang! Twang!

He shot three arrows, one for each dog, but none hit.

While preparing another shot, he hears another footstep. More precisely, on the right side of the street, where another 3 dogs were running above the houses.

Miles: ”Shit! Shit! Shit! ”

He said as he completed reloading the bow. His panicked words reached both ears of the two persons running in front.

Ellia: ”W-Whats wrong, Miles? ”

Ellia looked back and saw the several dogs running at the rooftop. Her eyes widened in fear and she held her mouth to stop herself from screaming.

Miles: ”Both of you, just run! Don mind me. ”

Ellia was shocked yet again with Miless bold statement.

Ellia: ”B-but Miles, We can abandon you! ”

Miles: ”GO NOW! ”

Theodore: ”Dear, Please let us run ahead. We cannot let his help go in vain. ”

Ellia was planning to stay but complied when Theodore persuaded her to run instead.

Theodore looked at Miles and nodded. Then he continued to run ahead.

Its not like Im planning to sacrifice myself here.

Miles laughed in his mind as he found the situation earlier humorous.

They treated him like he would sacrifice himself, but in reality, he was only planning to kill the dogs running toward them.

When he saw the two run ahead, Miles stopped running. He only missed because he was running while shooting. Now he stood tall as he was confident in killing the three dogs.

The dogs were closing near as they only needed to run five more houses to reach Miles. The other group of dogs was still a little far away as they needed to run ten houses to reach Miles.

He knows that fact and the reason he stopped running. He plans to take advantage of the distance between the dogs, so two groups of dogs would not gang up on him.

He shot the first arrow.

He heard a dog yelp as it was a perfect headshot.

He readied another arrow and shot the second dog. Unfortunately, he had missed. He reloaded another one and shot another. It missed again, and lastly, he reloaded and shot another. This time the second dog was dead as the arrow pierced its heart.

— Tap! Tap! Tap!

He can now hear the last dog clearly as it was on a proper rooftop to reach him. He checked his back holster for his arrow and learned he had only 3 arrows left.

His hands are now sweating as he cannot afford to miss another shot.

He readied his bow and shot the dog. Unfortunately, it hit the brick of the rooftop.

He widened in shock as he saw the other dog positioned to jump at him since the dog was now at a considerable distance. But before the dog could jump, the previously hit rooftop brick had become loosened. And like an avalanche, other bricks followed suit and fell down the ground.

Now the dog widened its eyes as it lost its own footing and fell off with the other rooftop bricks.

— Thorckkkkk!

The sound of a brick and a dog falling off the street, but the dog was not yet dead. Its arm and legs were broken, but it kept looking at Miles with a hostile glare as its red glint lit its eyes.

Miles flinched, feeling the killing intent. He didn expect the dog to hate him that much.

— Sigh~

Miles sighed at the dogs stupidity and thought to himself.

If you didn want to die, you shouldn have attacked me in the first place, dumbass.

It was a him or me situation, and Miles was aware of that. Nevertheless, he brandished his sword from his waist holster and hoisted it.

— Swing!

As the sword was hoisted up above, the blade shined by the lunars light as it reflected upon Miless face.

With his 2 arrows left, it was now the call to save ammo as much as possible. So he decided to kill the dog with his sword.

He walked towards the dog, who was glaring at him. He lifted his sword above as the moon shined at the sword and made a huge shadow towards the dog.

— Swing!

He swung his sword with full strength, and the head of the dog detached from its body.