Chase stared in surprise at the structure on the hill. He’d been expecting the construction of the dokkalfar outpost to take several months, not the week it had. Apparently, necromancy-powered construction worked fast.

What was even more surprising was the size. The buildings were large, easily the size of a barn at the small end, most of them with an additional three or four stories above ground.

The most surprising part for Chase was the lack of undead workers. While the dokkalfar did have some shamblers helping with construction, largely for heavy lifting, it was the dokkalfar themselves that did most of the work. They had also started planting some fields of various crops, from what Sikadi had said they were almost entirely some form of calorie dense root vegetable.

The glyptodon's corpse had been used to form the entrance hall for what seemed to be the town hall, though to his eye it looked like a step pyramid. Shaking his head, Chase looked back over to the gate, where Sikadi stood, a few guards near her.

“It looks like you guys are set up and established. How are things going?” he asked as he approached.

“Very well, My Lord. We have enough food to last a month, and the scouts have found some mineral deposits we can use to build a forge and other amenities. There is, however, an issue,” Sikadi reported.

“What issue?”

“The scouts have spotted some strange creatures a few miles east of the town. They do not resemble anything that was native to our world, but very strongly radiate æther. One of the scouts provided a sketch.”

With a gesture from Sikadi, one of the guards pulled out a piece of leather and handed it to Chase. Looking at the sketch, he felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. He hadn’t thought that there were any in these parts, but just to be sure, he asked a few questions about them.

Sure enough, it was sounding like the dokkalfar had spotted a pack of wolves. Wolves that, based on the descriptions, were the size of a grizzly bear. And had glowing runes on their pelts.

Chase let out a soft sigh. He was so close to having enough Kylin Tokens to be able to buy the crafting interface, he didn’t want to be out and about hunting a bunch of wolves. But the dokkalfar were now his responsibility, and he had a duty to them.

“Alight, I’ll go check it out. Have one of the scouts meet me here in an hour to provide directions,” Chase ordered, and Sikadi nodded.

As she turned to enter the outpost proper, Chase turned and began running back to his cabin. He’d just finished converting the glyptodon skull into a shield when he’d gotten the message that the outpost was completed. Plus his mask was still there.

His improved Characteristics let him sprint the entire two miles without becoming winded, a fact that he enjoyed a lot more than he’d have thought. He didn't stop until he was in front of his cabin, his breath only slightly ragged, his heart beating a bit harder than normal.

He went inside, grabbed his skull shield and mask, and made sure Ricardo was informed of the situation before heading back out and starting to sprint again. A he'd expected, he'd made it back to the gate of the dokkalfar settlement just as the hour was up.

The dokkalfar who was waiting for him was one of the older ones, wrinkles covered his face, but he moved with an ease that Chase would have expected from someone in their teens. His clothes were the same drab color as the other dokkalfar, but they fit him much better, and had more intricate embroidery.

“I am Scout Muthroth,” he said, his voice having an odd accent and sounding like old, dry paper. “Lady Sikadi said you were interested in the creatures nearby?”

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Chase nodded, “Correct. From the description I believe they’re a pack of wolves that were augmented by the Network. What do you know about them?”

Muthroth’s lips twitched into a wry grin, “Not as much as I’d like. They’re the first animals we’ve seen in this area we didn’t recognize that wasn’t almost immediately butchered by a noseless human.”

Raising an eyebrow at the scout’s surprising amount of cheek, Chase asked, “Is being a smart-ass to the boss really the best decision?”

“I am over one hundred years old, I have outlived my mate, all of my children, three grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. I’m too old to care who you are or how long it would take for you to snuff out my life,” Muthroth immediately shot back.

Chase wasn't sure how to respond to that, so instead of answering, he gestured for Muthroth to lead the way. After a short moment, Muthroth shrugged and began to lead him east. The trip was quiet, both men content to walk in silence. As they walked, Chase couldn't help but wonder what kind of person would be able to get through that many generations without losing the will to live.

“Why are you still around?” Chase suddenly asked, the words spilling out.

Muthroth slowed his pace, shooting a curious look at him, “Excuse me?”

“You're family's dead, why do you continue living? Why don't you just lay down and die?” Chase elaborated, curious as to the old man's thoughts.

Muthroth let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head, “Because Lady Sikadi and the people in that outpost need me. I've lived a full life, had children and watched them grow, had grandchildren and watched them have children. What's the point in throwing it all away when I can make the lives of those who are left safer? It may seem strange to you, but we dokkalfar do not have the concept of suicide. We only learned of it from the humans in the Tutorial.”

Chase nodded in understanding. They continued in silence after that, until Muthroth held out a hand and gestured for Chase to be quiet. He did his best, but he was conscious to every little sound he made next to the almost ghost-quiet dokkalfar.

Ahead was a small valley, with a few trees scattered about. Chase spotted a few dark forms moving between the trees. The pack was here. Chase gestured for Muthroth to circle to the north while he went south. He was sure he could handle himself against a single wolf, but with the numbers the dokkalfar reported, it would be safer if they tried to isolate the beasts.

Chase made it a dozen steps when he froze. He couldn't put the sensation he felt into words, but he knew that something important was about to happen. Slowly turning around, he met the gaze of one of the wolves, standing behind him, glowing green eyes standing out from white fur, a single brow raised, as if mocking him.

Chase took a single, slow step backwards. The wolf took a step forward. Chase took another, then another, each time the wolf mirrored him, until he was at the edge of the clearing.

“It’s rude to run off without even introducing yourself,” the wolf said, making Chase blink in surprise.

“Did…you just talk?” Chase asked, dumbfounded.

The wolf nodded, slowly, looking at Chase as if he were an idiot, “Yes. I did. My name is Dracht. This is the part where you introduce yourself.”

“Uh…Chase…did your pack happen to go through the Tutorial?” Chase asked, beginning to get an idea of what was happening.

Dracht nodded, a smile on his face, baring his fangs, “Indeed we did. We got a bit of an upgrade, and a new leader. Now, why did you run away from us? Don't like the Frek’idh?”

“I assume that’s what your people call yourselves, but to be blunt, we were unaware that you were not a pack of wild animals that had been enhanced by the Network. Since that is not the case, I would prefer to avoid conflict with you, unless it cannot be avoided. Is that acceptable, Dracht, of the Frek'idh?”

The wolf stared at him, then threw back his head and began laughing. It was a disconcerting sight, seeing a giant canine laugh.

“Oh, I like you human, but that is not something I can decide, as I do not lead the pack. I imagine my brother will have found your fellow by now, follow me and you can make your case to the Chief,” Dracht said, stepping past Chase and heading down to the valley.

“In for a penny,” Chase said to himself and began to follow the wolf that probably outmassed him two or three times over.

The two were halfway to where the majority of the pack was gathered, when Dracht froze, lifting his head into the air as sigils the same green as his eyes appeared around him. He audibly took several deep sniffs, before he began to growl deep in his chest.

Dracht’s gaze snapped to Chase, and he growled out, “You want to impress the Chief, get on my back and help repel the Uchmute.”

“The what?” Chase asked, even as he climbed up onto Dracht’s back.

The white wolf nodded his head towards the eastern side of the valley, even as he began running faster than Chase could hope to move, “Them.”

A veritable horde of misshapen figures on horseback were charging over the far edge of the valley, heading right for the pack.