The moonlight shone intensely; the leaves of the trees swayed, branches clashing against one another to produce pleasant sounds. The wind blew, carrying the scent of wet earth, while the clinking of armor brought despair to any creature of the night.
The detachment of soldiers marched at arm's length from one another, trotting with force through the trees while maintaining their line. The tips of their spears gleamed silver under the moon; the tension was palpable. Both sides were aware of each other's presence. The attack began without ceremony—wolves leaping from the treetops. Some were unlucky enough to be skewered by cold spears as they fell, but that didn't stop them from killing the spearmen and continuing the fray. Their wounds regenerated before the naked eye, their bodies shrinking as they spent their energy reserves.
The screams and cries of wolves and soldiers permeated the once-silent forest. Trees toppled as the combat intensified.
Wolves and soldiers attacked in groups, yet two beings remained still, staring at each other.
— "So, it was you who killed my brother?" Gregos said, gripping his red spear tighter, his eyes burning with fury.
The battle seemed to be a world apart for the two of them, as if they inhabited a different space; the din of combat was merely a faint static in the background.
— "SO HIS NAME WAS GREGOS, WAS IT? HAHAHA! HE WAS SCREAMING YOUR NAME WHILE BEING EATEN ALIVE!"
The more the wolf transmitted its thoughts to Gregos, the calmer he became, despite the intense fire in his chest.
— "WHAT? ARE YOU GOING TO CRY
TOO?" said the bizarre voice, a mixture of a howl and human speech.
— "How childish. I pity you, but I will not be swift in your execution. For the Empire! For the God of the Tides!"
— "FALSE GOD!" the beast snarled as they both accelerated toward each other. The spear was lowered, positioned between the chest and abdomen as Gregos aimed for the creature's heart. The beast advanced, seemingly indifferent to the instrument of death coming its way, but suddenly shifted its position, spinning its body in mid-air and dodging the weapon. It struck a tree with one of its paws, ripping it up by the roots; exploding with speed, it leaped at Gregos from the flank. But dozens of blue lances emerged and lunged toward the beast, which dodged but missed a movement and was pierced through the arm.
It recoiled, but not before whipping its long tail, knocking Gregos off his horse. It pulled the weapon out as its steaming hot blood spilled onto the ground.
— "BETTER THAN YOUR LITTLE BROTHER."
Gregos advanced, his face possessed by rage. The wolf dodged the attacks with dexterity, grinning grotesquely. However, in its distraction, it was knocked down by Gregos's horse, which delivered a headbutt, allowing Gregos time to pierce the creature's shoulder.
Snarling and twisting its body to break the resilient spear, the beast showed sublime strength, snapping the curved lance in seconds before backing away. Gregos raised the blood-dripping spear; blue mana flowed through it, forcing the metal to straighten once more.
The wounds closed in seconds, and its body began to shrink—not due to energy expenditure, but one of its skills. The creature, previously as tall as two horses, became the size of a tall man, reaching exactly two meters.
— "TIME TO STOP PLAYING!"
Gregos's eyes widened as he realized the beast had vanished from his sight. He only had time to position his spear in front of his head before being carried sideways by one of the animal's humanoid paws. He used his other arm to protect himself from the ground as his body was crushed and dragged through the earth. He let go of the spear and grabbed the wolf's arm, but the creature hurled him into a pile of rocks. In the air, he twisted his body and landed gracefully on the stones, leaning forward.
Magic flowed through his armor, forming a barrier. The creature crushed it with ease, punching Gregos's body into the rocks and denting his chest plate. Gregos tried to rise but was met with a flurry of slashes, shredding his armor. He began to chant a spell, but his mouth was slashed, forcing him to swallow blood. The cuts piled up, and Gregos felt the shadow of death consuming his life—until a wave surged, pushing the beast away while healing his wounds.
— "Sorry for the delay, Captain.
His subordinates emerged from between the trees, smiling.
— "He has a nice pelt. It'll make a great blanket for the Captain to enjoy himself on," the shortest one said, laughing.
— "DOES THE LITTLE PET NEED HELP TO AVENGE HIS BROTHER?"
— "What a horrible voice. Let's kill this thing before it says anything else."
— "I GUESS YOU HAVEN'T REALIZED YET, HAVE YOU?"
The three of them stopped, looking around. White eyes were reflected in every corner of the forest.
— "WHAT PATHETIC SOLDIERS. YOU CALL YOURSELVES ELITES, YET YOU DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE YOUR MEN BEING SLAUGHTERED."
The two soldiers grabbed Gregos's arms as they looked around. — "That... that wouldn't be possible."
— "Indeed, not with these hounds alone," said a melodious voice emerging from the shadows.
— "A Vampire?"
— "This is boring. Kill them!"
— "Not a chance!" The soldiers broke the crystals tied to their chests and transformed into flashes of light that shot up into the night sky.
— "WHY LET THEM GO?"
— "This trap was made to reduce morale and cause panic. If no one returns, who will tell the tale? Do you think I placed that barrier to isolate them for nothing?"
— "But the carriage was a stroke of luck. I was thinking of exterminating that village, but I figured it was more effective to attack someone with real value."
The shadow vanished, along with others that seemed to merge.
— "COME ON. LET'S GO.