With Foire leading us, our pack approached the lair of the wolfstags. I planned for this first ambush of ours to be quick, and to take, at most, ten of our prey. Any more, and we couldn’t guarantee that none would escape. We wouldn’t be able to return with our “gifts” with that many on our tails, so I was trusting Foire to be absolutely sure about how many of the wolves there were, and where they were. Even without me saying as much, I could read the tension in his shoulders and spine, and Foire continuously ranged out and scouted everything that was happening.

Alongside Foire, Silf and two other keelish who had been training under Foire scouted continuously, taking upon themselves the brunt of the worry and difficulty of keeping the rest of us safe. The pack slowly, quietly strode forward and onward, through the brush towards where we knew the wolfstags’ den was. I found I needed to hunch and occasionally use my hands to balance myself to crouch and make my way through the brush. The mere necessity of it rankled me, that I should have to lower myself to try to hide from my prey. I furiously pushed down that foolishness, knowing that I couldn’t proudly walk into danger and expect to survive.

Instead, I focused on keeping myself constantly prepared to use my vibrating claws. I’d decided to simply call it that until the [System] finally granted me my [Skill], and I was sure that after using them today, I would finally be blessed with that notification. Foire continued to guide us until we were about five miles from where we thought the wolfstag den was located. Then, we all laid low, trying to hide within the twisting roots of the burlraizes and within the thick brush while he scaled the largest tree nearby.

I wasn’t sure if we would be so lucky as to find a perfect amount of wolfstags to hunt, but I figured we could at least get a couple. They frequently hunted at night, similar to keelish, though they relied on their sense of smell, different to the superior keelish’ senses. With that knowledge, we were, for now, all downwind of the wolfstags. After a quarter of an hour, Foire briefly descended to say that there seemed to be a group of wolfstags that had left their den and left in the opposite direction. We left them alone, waiting, hoping for some to come our way.

A second pack of wolves left, going north and far away from our position. The first pack of wolves returned. A third pack left in the direction the first pack returned from. A fourth pack left, stayed close, then returned. A fifth pack came directly towards us.

The fifth pack would be our prey, and we set our ambush. Most stood waiting behind the mounds of roots, while Foire and several others stayed within the trees, watching and waiting. Foire signaled something with his hands, and one of his fellow scouts came near to me and explained the meaning–eight prey, coming fast, be ready. I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and, after thinking for a split second, decided to activate [Combatant’s Bloodlust]. Just as the [Skill]’s description had stated, my mind focused, disregarding the nerves that always plagued me before a fight, and my vision went monochrome with all color bleaching from my perception with one exception.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I saw red spots color all of the keelish near me, and I knew they were vulnerabilities I could exploit. There was no need to, though. They weren’t the ones I would kill. Instead, I only needed to wait until the wolfstags were near. Then, I would be able to rip and tear through them until I was done. Even with my detachment, I could feel the desire to rush into battle and feel my claws rip through flesh, but I could now much more easily wait until my targets approached. Finally, movement approached.

Again, I wanted to run out the same moment that I saw them, but I stopped myself until the wolfstags were right in the center of where our ambushers laid in wait, and then I was the first to battle. The prey in the back was only barely quick enough to turn around before my right hand’s claws sliced deep into its hamstring where a burning mark glowed. It collapsed as I activated the vibrations in my claws and cut towards my prey with the other hand. With the addition of my magic, my vibrating claws sliced quickly through skin and muscle, then, with only a moment’s slowing, the wolfstag’s ribs parted beneath my blow. Its intestines began to spill free through the wide wound, but with my free left hand, I sliced cleanly and quickly through its spine at the base of its neck, striking easily into another glowing vulnerability.

As my first victim collapsed, I took in the view of the rest of the fight. There were no dangerous situations, and I could see that the surprised wolfstags were quickly succumbing to our assault. Even so, I didn’t hesitate to step forward to the largest of the pack, one that was almost holding its ground, and strike at a weak spot in its shoulder. Again, under both the influence of my [Bloodlust] guided strike and magic, my claws sunk in almost without effort, and I felt the muscles of my prey contract around my fingers as I plunged them ever deeper into the flesh. With my fingers and claws tearing into its muscles, my prey quickly succumbed to other attacks from the rest of the pack, and I turned away before its yelps had faded into the jungle.

With those two down so quickly and Took’s furious rage-fueled strikes on the other side of the hunt, the eight wolfstags were quickly dispatched. Before I let the [Bloodlust] fade away, I noted that one of the wolves had howled shortly after our assault had begun, and I couldn’t say what it had been intended to mean.

“Get on the bodies now. Let’s get back,” I called back before immediately leading the way, not waiting to see who grabbed what body and if they needed help. They could take care of themselves, and if they were unable to keep up, then they deserved what came their way.

As we walked away and I allowed the [Bloodlust] to fade, I rolled my shoulders, excited to have been able to hunt without any discomfort at all. Then, I was excited to be greeted by the expected notification.

[Growth achieved. Skill acquired. Status updated.]