This wolf, with its bright yellow eyes, stared down the group of twenty men that surrounded it.

There were three groups of men surrounding the creature; they all wore crests of the Dragnier Kingdom, just the sight of it made my blood boil, but I held in my anger and continued to watch.

The first group jumped about, slashing and hacking at the creature giving it no reprieve. The creature countered with a thick layer of shadow magic that blocked the majority of the attacks but from time to time a few slashes would hack through.

The wolf was already bleeding, its purple blood blotted the forest floor as it fended off attack after attack. The paladins, despite looking to be at an advantage, were visibly exhausted as though they had been fighting for days without rest and their attacks seemed almost monotonous.

The second row of men was composed of mages. Each time one of the paladins landed and took a respite, a spell of a different element was sent flying towards the wolf to fill the gaps.

Meanwhile the third row of only five mages casted enhancement and healing magic making this party devastating to the kludde.

I had seen a few pictures of this creature while looking through my family books as a toddler. The creature was known as a ‘kludde’.

They were an extremely rare breed of magical beasts known for shadow magic. They were cunning creatures with exceptional strength however, they were very weak during the daylight and would often dwell in the shadow of objects.

Known primarily for their shadow slip and shapeshifting magic. They would sneak up and kill foes without being noticed. This particular kludde was obviously a notch far above average, to stand toe to toe with so many powerful paladins and mages, more so during the daylight when it was supposed to be at its weakest.

Despite its tenacity the kludde was eventually forced further and further back, until its back or tails rather, were against a giant tree.

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The tree shook and at the foot of the tree where its roots intertwined popped the heads of four miniature kluddes. The warriors got even more vicious as they attacked.

“Just as our intel said boy, she has just given birth! She’s weak as a kitten and her pups are ripe for the taking!”

The crew of magicians laughed as they upped the frequency of spell attacks. Just the site of the prize had boosted the morale of the men. A kludde was a rare creature whose parts could be sold for a hefty sum but its young cubs were worth even more. If tamed and trained could be life long partners for paladins or breeding kluddes for the right business man.

fire balls, light spears, ice javelins, spell after spell ravaged the kludde. The purple blood splashes had now become pools of blood.

Its shadow armor had now thinned so much it was useless against the physical assault and the kludde trembled as it was forced back.

After being forced back and with the feeling of her tail touching one of her pups, the kludde roared viciously. Its bright yellow eyes looked sharp at the party of mages. The roar pushed the paladins back, then she raised her second and third tail.

Then the atmosphere of the air in an instant tensed. All the paladins and mages instantly engulfed themselves in individual shields and barriers. From the second tail a ripple that distorted all it traveled across was emanated.

When the ripple made contact with the shields and barriers of the party; it generated an explosion so vigorous that it caused fully grown trees to instantly snap. The forest floor instantly became a desolate wasteland.

Luckily for myself the explosion was focused in one direction. Myself being at the opposite end was unaffected, only having to use my gravity amplification magic to keep firm enough to not be completely blown away from the sheer scale of such power.

The barriers cracked and deep root like crevices covered them until they shattered completely.

‘That was definitely space magic.’ I thought as I tried to get a better view.

The kludde was still not done, it then raised its third tail, and once again the air stiffened. The paladins and magicians that were grinning before faces were suddenly filled with dread and despair.

All of their barriers and shields were already devastated and yet the kludde still had another powerful attack waiting for them.

A thunderstorm seemed to erupt from the kludde’s tail. The thunderbolts ran towards the warriors, they tore the earth and split the land. So powerful, they burnt the land and left marks so deep that each bolt as they danced, tattooed the surface of the earth.

The warriors, at least those who were fast enough, attempted to dodge the violent storm, while the unfortunate instantly vaporized under the brute strength of the thunderbolts.