Similar to my encounter with the trinity serpent before, I didn't really need the warning. I figured out that I was in trouble on my own, even if it happened only moments before those more urgent instincts kicked in. It was the smell. It was somewhat familiar but different, more primal somehow, more menacing and worse, nearly omnipresent.
From there came the eyes, bright, hungry and predatory, attached to looming furred shadows, each one a far cry from the weak and tiny creatures which I'd been constantly battling over the past few days. Any one of these creatures would be a problem, but of course, there isn't just one of them. Or even just ten.
The beasts aren't entirely unfamiliar. The canine scent to them is recognizable, even if somewhat 'off', but even the smallest among them makes me look tiny in comparison.
"This is our territory." a particularly large, grey furred male said. The many other wolves all stepped aside as he approached, clearly in deference to him.
On one hand, I am pretty worried, but hey, we're both dogs, right? Plus, it will be nice to finally be able to talk to someone. I had made regular efforts to communicate with the other forest denizens, but it was unclear whether they simply couldn't understand me or just had no desire to speak back. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was the second thing. They came off as rather rude, what with their suicidal blood-lust and all that.
"I'm sorry. I mean no harm." I say back. As a dog, I, of course, understand that territory is very important, and I have no desire to be the aggressor in this situation. A few of the wolves which surround me chuckle at the words, clearly finding the very idea that I could pose a threat to be an absurd one. I take only a little bit of offense at that. "I have no desire to claim any of your prey or to threaten your people. I only seek safe passage, and the sooner that you allow me to pass, the sooner that I will exit your territory."
"You're only sort of right." the alpha says with a throaty growl, "Yeah, letting you pass through would be better than having you stay here. Of course simply killing you would solve the problem far quicker."
"You'll find I won't die quite as easily as you might expect." I say as I draw my sword, growling around the hilt of it. I still have no intention of striking first, but I hope that revealing that I am capable of defending myself might deter the wolves, just a bit, and motivate them to come up with a more diplomatic solution. It doesn't go nearly as well as I hope. The gesture is met with still more canine laughter.
"Weak little mutt thinks she's a human." a feminine voice chuckles from among the pack. The large male doesn't laugh but wears a less than intimidated grin, his shining eyes locked upon my own.
"Do you really expect us to be scared of that toy of yours?" he asks.
"I don't seek to scare or harm anyone." I say, the sword still held within my jaws. One might naturally think that that would make talking difficult, but I like to think that I'm highly talented. "...but I do need to reach the other side of these woods, and I can't take 'no' for an answer. I'd rather not have to do so by force, however. Is there anything I can do, anything at all that will change your minds?"
The alpha strides towards me. I back up a couple of steps, still gripping the sword tightly. "You have nothing that you could possibly offer us, and if you really don't want to use force, then I recommend that you turn and run back to your soft bed and coddled life. We only recognize strength here, and if you want to get through our territory, you'll have to go through me."
I crouch down, looking in all directions, ready for the countless wolves to pounce, having no idea how many, if any, that I can realistically defeat. All of the other wild dogs sit or lie in place, however, seemingly completely unguarded, watching attentively but making no move to strike. The less noble part of my brain tells me to strike first while they are all unprepared, but it's thankfully overruled by both the principled and sensible parts of me which tell me that such an attack would be both immoral and downright suicidal, respectively.
"Just you?" I say, hopefully. The large wolf doesn't look weak, not by any stretch, but I like my chances in a one on one fight a lot better than I do trying to take on an army.
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"Trust me, I'm enough." he says with a smile.
I nod in understanding, crouched down ready to strike. He looks strong. Really, strong, but not insurmountable. I can handle this. In the end, he's just another canine. He doesn't even have a sword, or multiple heads! I can handle this.
Battle Start! Squire Versus AbyssalWood Alpha!
AbyssalWood Alpha howls! AbyssalWood Alpha harnesses the strength of the pack!
Squire uses Divine Strike!
AbyssalWood Alpha suffers 255 point(s) of damage!
This new sword is helping a lot, plus the level ups didn't hurt, either. Hopefully he'll back down once he sees how powerful I am.
AbyssalWood Alpha attacks!
Squire suffers 65 point(s) of damage!
Squire's HP has been reduced to 21!
Well, so much for that. That attack hit way harder than I was anticipating, the single fierce bite into my shoulder enough to send me reeling. Sure, I did a lot more damage to him, but he barely looks injured at all. Clearly, I can't hope to overpower him, but with my smaller body maybe I can out-maneuver him.
Squire withdraws!
AbyssaWood Alpha uses pride of the pack!
Attack power dramatically increases!
Squire uses Lay on Paws!
Squire is healed for 54 Hit Points of damage!
Squire's HP is now 75!
Good! I've generated a little distance, now I just need to focus on defense. He's strong, but if I fight carefully, I'm sure that I can outlast him!
AbyssalWood Alpha attacks!
Squire suffers 144 point(s) of damage!
Squire has been defeated!
---
Wolfess: "You do know that the whole 'alpha/beta thing was debunked long ago, right?"
AbyssalWood Alpha: "Yeah, but it still makes for a good distinction between a common wolf and a boss monster."
Squire: "Um, am I dead or what?"
Wolfess: "Quiet! We're having a conversation here!"
Squire: "Oh, sorry!"
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