I forced my eyes shut as an explosion of air pushed me onto the ground. Using my hand, I managed to block the raging storm just enough to peek through my fingers.
The golden thread that bound the titan's wrist burned with emerald flames. I didn't need to see through the storm to hear the snap as the thread broke into two.
As it snapped, I couldn't swallow; the pressure forced its way into my throat.
No!
My core came to life and rushed through my veins.
Thump!
After the first heartbeat, the heat spread and forced the pressure away, pushing it back as steam rose from my body. From near my feet, Freki began to rise and engulf my legs, creating a haze of cool air that swirled with the steam. It made a barrier that slowly expanded, and I could feel the weight slip off my chest.
The emerald flames spread in the pool, and the rune on Rock-splitter's chest brightened with each passing second. He yanked with his unfree arm, but the thread tightened and cut into his flesh. Blood dripped down like a waterfall.
That didn't stop him.
Using his free arm, he gripped the thread and pulled. A high-pitched whine filled my ears and caused me to flinch. The thread snapped like the first, and Rock-splitter toppled forward.
Oh crap!
A wave of the green-gold liquid rushed forward like a tsunami, and I scrambled to get away. I didn't make it far before it crashed down on my head and forced me into the dirt. As the wave yanked my head up, it receded into the lake; teeth clamped down on the back of my hoodie and hauled me upward.
My cloak washed the liquid off as if it were nothing, but a stream dripped down the front of my face and slipped into my mouth.
NEED! FEED! CONSUME!
I slapped myself hard enough to send me rolling across the ground. Freki whimpered in my ear, but I ignored it and tried to spit the blood out. "I refuse you! Shut up!"
MORE! CON-
"Shut up!"
I punched the mud and whipped my head around, forcing myself to focus on Rock-splitter, who slowly looked up as he held himself above the water.
"Strong pillar indeed… I apologize for the deluge."
"At least it doesn't taste like blood," I coughed. "Surprisingly sweet."
He bellowed, and I covered my ears. His laughter rocked my body now that his head was so close to the ground.
"Are you ready? I have one binding left to undo," he said as he turned his head to expose the thread constricting his throat.
Like his wrist, it cut into his flesh, and he bled freely into the lake.
"Do you need anything from me?"
"Unless you want to help break me free… Then no."
The emerald flames continued to burn below him, his blood fueling the fire that cast the room in its light. To my right, I saw a puddle untouched by the flames. It called to me and stirred that hunger inside but I turned away and sniffed the air coming from the lake.
It was sweet, but it didn't excite me the way the puddle did.
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"You know what? Extend your arm," I called out.
Freki cocked his head, and I ruffled his fur and pointed to my feet. He nodded and sank back into my shadow as I stood up. I crossed my arms and waited as Rock-splitter stared, unmoving.
"What? Is there a problem with me helping?"
He blinked and shook his head. "No. It's just impressive how composed you are. You're not the first pup I've met in my time. But you certainly show an intriguing reaction to all this. Far more composed than the other."
Yeah well, I'm not exactly the most stable mentally. And this isn't nearly as crazy as a week ago.
Rock-splitter pushed up and leaned to one side while extending his massive arm. I used his finger as a brace and hopped into his palm. When he began to close his hand around me, I dug my fingers into my thigh. He pressed my arms together, but that was all. The blood would not, could not overpower me.
With a surprising gentleness, he deposited me on the back of his shoulders, and I clutched onto his collar to stabilize myself.
"Are you secure, Little Wolf? I cannot guarantee I can remain so still."
I tugged at the golden thread and felt it burn my hand. It bled, and my blood dripped onto the titan's neck.
"If I fall, I fall. I don't know if I can really do anything, though," I admitted.
"Matters not. I take the gesture for what it is, whatever be the results," he rumbled back.
"Alright then. I'm ready."
As the titan slowly sat up, I kept my mouth shut and gripped his collarbone with both hands. He leaned forward so I wasn't entirely on his shoulder, but I was high enough above the water that it would definitely hurt if I slipped.
"Brace yourself!"
When the pressure pushed down, I sank to one knee. My mana rushed to combat it, and steam began to rise.
I watched the ephemeral fire ignite the thread and slowly spread down his neck. The flames washed over me, and I felt my mana pause. Reaching a hand down, I scooped up a handful of the emerald flames and watched as my mana pooled into my palm.
It feels surprisingly good.
Rock-splitter roared, and more flames appeared. Without thinking, I split my attention to watch the fire turn the lake into an inferno. The mana in my hand reacted and rose, swallowing the brilliant heat.
Instantly, my arm tingled, and it felt like I had injected electricity into my veins.
My core exploded in a rush of mana that shot down my arms. Green flames, tinged with lines of gold, engulfed my hands and joined the flames around us. I held my palm up to my eyes and watched my skin faintly shine underneath its light.
It didn't hurt, despite feeling like I was touching a live wire.
Con-
The foreign thoughts came back, but before they could scream their demand, my mana knocked it aside and sent a jolt up my spine.
Rock-splitter's large hand moved upward and scratched at the thread, sliding one of his massive digits underneath the loop. "Rouargh!"
The roar cut through the pressure, the beauty of the flames, and even the storm inside my chest. My teeth clacked together, and I felt my bones try to escape their fleshy prison.
This is insane!
I slammed my palms onto the thread and ignored the sharp sting as it tried to cut through my grip. The emerald-orange flames solidified underneath my skin and cushioned the pain-blunting the thread's edge. I grinned as the world brightened several degrees and felt a call to howl deep within my throat.
Rock-splitter roared a second time, and his other hand tugged at the threads. I joined him and released the howl, feeling it rumble past my throat and through my lips.
I pulled as he pulled. The whining of the thread filled my ears as it stretched away from his bruised skin.
From beneath my cloak, I saw a shadow extend out and block the flames covering my hip. Freki opened his maw, and the blaze inside his body shifted to emerald that billowed like a flamethrower as he sank his teeth into the thread.
Just… Need… To… Pull!
Something snapped, and my wrist cracked. I looked down and found claws in the place of my nails.
The titan roared again, and I howled, shutting my eyes. My wrists wriggled underneath my skin, and I felt fur sprout from between my fingers.
Just give already!
Muscles strained, and I tugged. Freki's growl joined the cacophony of sound, and my claws scratched at the metal-like thread.
Rock-splitter raised his chin, and my foot slipped, but at the last second, a snap cut through the noise. The titan crashed forward, and I fell with him, digging my claws into his shoulder, ignoring the thick cords of muscles beneath my fingertips.
Like a candle wick and a strong breeze, the flames vanished, leaving behind a smoking and charred mess.
I began to tumble off my perch, but Freki grabbed me by the hood and held on.
"Thank you, Freki," I panted.
I raised my hands up and watched as the black fur streaking with white receded. Smooth, human-looking flesh appeared in its place. The world dimmed, and I felt my core slow to a crawl, the bubbling from within calming into a still lake.
My heart continued to pound in my chest and filled the silence. Rock-splitter heaved beneath me, and he slowly reached a hand up. I flopped into his palm, and Freki rejoined my shadow. Instead of bringing me to the shore, he sat up and held me up to his face, where I stared into one of his large eyes.
His mouth split into a wide grin, and he bellowed with laughter. "Outstanding, Little Wolf! Outstanding!"