The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 15: While compassion remains

Lucius couldn't die so easily. If Anthony had the luxury of being immortal, Lucius would just have to balance it out with some luck and determination to stay alive.

Before the garm could throw him into the ground he defied the pain in his restrained arm and used his weight to swing forward, letting his knife slice the beast over her eye.

It didn't reach very deep, but it was enough for her to let go of Lucius' arm out of shock and pain, so the latter took his chance to slip underneath her. With the advantage of her back being free to stab away at, Lucius quickly had to weigh his options. There was no way a knife in her lower back would do much to stop her, so it was either running and hoping her size would stop her from following him quickly enough until he reached the stairs, or he had to climb.

A glance over his shoulder revealed no convenient way across the water to continue running, so reluctant as he was, Lucius had to pick the second option.

Most creatures had a sensitive neck after all.

So before his mind went back to rationality he jumped up to grab the garm's fur, fighting every inch of his brain screaming at him to stop as he began climbing up to the back of her head.

Naturally, the beast was distressed, trying to throw him off and grabbing at him with her paws. Her massive arms failed her though as she had no chance reaching all the way to her back, and Lucius took his chance to plunge his knife deep into her neck.

A shrill cry from the beast had Lucius paralyzed for a moment, but then he noticed she began lowering her entire body closer to the ground and he made a quick escape off her back before she jumped up to crash against the cave's ceiling.

It happened too fast for Lucius to even consider what would have happened had he not been quick enough to roll off, and he liked it that way. He'd let the panic rise some other time, assuming there would be one.

He still had to consider his current situation, having latched onto the garm's arm so as not to fall into the water and therefore still being at risk of being smashed against something.

Water would likely either crush or drown him, and the werewolf would either crush or gut him, so which one did he prefer?

"Cromwell..." Ivan's voice suddenly reached Lucius' ears, and the latter stared in astonishment at the man who, despite a deep gash in his stomach, managed to lift his arm and point it at the ceiling.

Lucius let the ceiling have a brief moment of attention before he caught on to what Ivan meant.

Oh fuck... Again?

He sucked in a breath. It would kill him if he failed, but he'd fail automatically if he didn't hurry up anyway, so off he went to near-certain death as he used his remaining strength to climb back up onto the garm's back.

She was ready this time, both to Lucius' advantage and horror as she immediately hunched down to jump again. Perhaps it was just as well that she did it quickly, because he'd barely managed to reach her neck before he let go of her, once again barely avoiding being smashed against the ceiling.

The garm, of course, did not, and she let out a broken whine as her back struck against rock. As Ivan had predicted as well, the already cracked parts of the surface finally let go and large chunks of the ceiling rained down on her, one of them landing hard on her forehead.

All air went out of Lucius' lungs as he landed on the hard walkway, but at least he was alive. His limbs made their discontentment very clear though.

A relieved, breathy laugh escaped him as the garm now tumbled backwards, body not quite wishing to obey her and she let out a weak growl as her consciousness began to falter.