Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 150: No Refuge for the Lost

Ignoring the child's distress to prioritize their escape, the Mithrilcrest Deer surged forward, its muscles straining as it pushed itself harder. Its silver coat glimmered faintly, almost as if trying to vanish into the light itself, but the poachers were tenacious. Another volley of arrows sliced through the air like a war cry.

THUNK!

A pained cry tore from the deer's throat as one of the projectiles found its mark in its hind leg. She stumbled but pushed onward, determination blazing in her eyes.

"Oh no! Please hold on!"

At the desperate sound of the girl's scream, the Mithrilcrest Deer regained its stride despite the blood trailing behind it. But the predators were just as passionate in their pursuit as the prey was desperate in their escape.

FEWP-FEWP-FEWP!

More arrows came. One struck the deer's flank, another pierced its shoulder, narrowly missing the girl atop its back. The Mithrilcrest Deer faltered, its legs giving way beneath it. The girl tumbled from its back, landing hard on the forest floor as the deer crashed to the ground in a swirl of dust and agony.

The fawn skidded to a halt, bleating in panic as it nuzzled its mother. The Mithrilcrest Deer turned her head, her eyes filled with both pain and urgency. With a trembling motion, she nudged the fawn toward the girl.

"Take her," the deer seemed to say, her gaze firm despite her faltering breaths.

The girl, tears streaming down her face, scrambled to her feet. "No! I can't leave you!"

The deer released a low, commanding cry, and the fawn, propelled by a blend of instinct and its mother's final instruction, took a step forward. Its legs quivered with uncertainty as it lowered its body, offering the girl a fragile, trembling back to climb upon.

The girl sobbed, clambering onto the creature's small frame. Despite its size, the young fawn stood tall, its resolve mirroring its mother's. With one last glance at its fallen guardian and her majestic antlers that glittered like blue crystals, the fawn turned and bolted with a morose cry, its slender legs carrying them deeper into the forest.

The chase resumed, but this time, the fawn had something the hunters didn't anticipate—the unyielding will to honor its mother's dying wish. Its tiny body burned with determination, and though it struggled to carry both the girl and the weight of its grief, it leaped over fallen logs and twisted through the trees with surprising agility.

Behind them, the jeers of the poachers faded, momentarily distracted by the fallen Mithrilcrest Deer. The girl glanced back, choking on her tears, but the fawn pressed onward, its small heart beating with the strength of a creature far beyond its years. It sprinted with everything it had, the wind slicing through its fur as the girl clung desperately to its back.

But they weren't out of danger yet.

FEWP!

A sharp whistle pierced the air.

THUNK!

The girl screamed as the fawn stumbled, an arrow embedded deep in its neck. It staggered, its body convulsing in agony, and for a horrifying moment, its legs buckled as if it would collapse under the weight of the blow.

"No, no, no! Stay with me!" the girl cried, clutching the creature's blood-slicked fur, tears streaming down her face.

The fawn's eyes rolled back, its body shuddering in the throes of pain. But then, impossibly, its gaze snapped forward, sharpening with resolve. It took a shaky step, then another, its hooves striking the ground with renewed determination, each step fueled by its mother's final wish and its own desire to protect the girl who had become a part of its family.