At the halfway mark I keenly noticed that the forests normal ambient sounds had gone quiet. I didn't hesitate to draw my blade from my soul as I controlled my toad to move forward at pace while I kept my senses tightened to a hair trigger. It was thanks to this that I was able to bring up my blade to block when a massive figure burst out the shade and pushed claws first again my blade throwing me off my mount forcibly. I recognized the creature with but a single glance as I used a burst of [gust] to reorient myself midair and land with my feet sliding across the leaves and dirt.
A werewolf.
The monster stood seven feet tall making it ironically only a bit bigger than I. It looked like a mix of human and wolf as it's head was full savage snarling wolf head and it's body covered in dark blonde fur but otherwise human in shape with the exception of the reverse jointed legs ending in paws. Both hands had long dark claws coming from the fingers that were more than capable of ripping a man apart.
I paid close attention to it and easily identified the thing as male due to a lack of breasts or vagina. Unlike in the game clothes didn't survive the transformation into werewolf form so the bits were always out to identify the gender of a werewolf. The monster didn't immediately press it's advantage after having flung me from my mount as said mount forced it back with a violent headbutt in retaliation. I canceled my summoning of my mount as I needed to focus for this battle and not worry for it's safety.-
My mind rapidly sorted through all my spells until I found the one I wanted though this in truth took less than a tenth of a second. With a grunt I slammed my left palm into my chest and a burst of green light erupted as the spell took hold. My skin darkened and took on a glossy sheen like metal as my [ironflesh] spell did it's thing. The werewolf snarled at this with a slight flash of annoyance passing through it's two bestial eyes. The monster didn't rush me but began to stalk around me slowly in an effort to intimidate and frighten me.-
I wasn't some helpless citizen though.
A fact the monster quickly picked up on when I didn't so much as flinch and remained perfectly steady as I watched it intensely. Impatient the beast charged me with a roar that shook the air and made my ears hurt a bit. Ignoring my discomfort I stood my ground without moving until the monster was mid swing of it's claws set to try and take my head off. In one fluid motion I held out my left arm to intercept it's strike while thrusting my blade towards it's extended leg.-
"CLANG! SQELCH!"
Two sounds filled the air almost simultaneously. The first the metallic impact of that claw striking my left hand. The second was my blade going deep into the thigh of the monster and only being stopped by bone. The beast roared in pain at this and I hopped backwards to open some distance while a gentle yellow glow rose from my left arm healing the deep weeping wounds the claws left there. I fully expected to trade injuries with that last maneuver. There was simply no other way. The werewolf was by default faster and stronger than me and had powerful instincts that would warn it if I tried anything long range. -
Add on the no doubt hypercharged reflexes and only a dangerous move like what I did would work. I closed my wounds with restoration leaving nasty scars in their place but the werewolf didn't have that ability and was profusely bleeding from the artery I stabbed through. After years of medical practice I was VERY familiar with the human body and gambled that a werewolf's body had very similar vein placement. Even if I lost that gamble getting stabbed in the thigh would hobble most creatures movement so it wasn't a loss to me. -
I noticed that the beast seemed to disregard it's injury as it charged at me and made a quick realization, it didn't know how bad that injury actually was. My eyes narrowed as a plan formed and I quickly leapt to the side and out of the way of the slowed but still fast werewolf. It growled in annoyance and tried again. I spent the next five minutes dancing away from the beast as it slowly grew weaker and weaker from blood loss. It noticed it's exhaustion being unusual about a minute in but I wasn't going to let it retreat and harried it to keep it on the back foot.-
Honestly I had to admit that the damned thing was impressively durable as any normal man would have long since bled to death fighting with an open artery like that. The beast glared at me with unwillingness as I ended this fight by sending my blade through it's heart. I hadn't gotten away from this matter unscathed as I had a variety of new scars from the times it had managed to claw me. I was so good at healing however that I didn't even need to stop fighting to fix the damage even if it left me with some nasty scars afterwards.-
My pants and shirt were stained with my blood and sweat as I breathed heavily and moved to send my sword into my soul. I paused and jumped back from the fresh corpse at the ready as a light blue figure that looked exactly like the werewolf but see through rose from the corpse.
"You have impressed me mortal. I thought you mere prey upon your flight from my hinds sight. Lo and behold how you flipped the hunt on it's head!" The ghost werewolf spoke in a deep powerful voice.
"Hircine." I hissed out with narrowed eyes.
"An aspect, a glimpse into the glorious hunter known as such." the aspect of Hircine said proudly.
"No disrespect but you wouldn't be talking to me if there wasn't more to this. That's not how you operate." I said severely.
"Indeed! As I have said you impressed me mortal! With critical eye and sharp resolve you have bested one of my best hounds, bleeding him until the time to claim the kill came! A Marvelous show! And so I offer you a boon! Speak your desire and I shall see your efforts properly rewarded!" the aspect said grandly.
I fell deep in thought at that offer. I didn't doubt the words at all as of all the daedric princes Hircine was one of the most honest and straightforward. If he said he wanted to reward me than he meant to reward me, simple as that. I had to be careful about what I asked for however as if I chose something vague like "power" then he could easily inflict lycanthropy on me as it fulfilled the requirement. This was going to be tricky.