“They’re coming back to life?” Thomas asked, horrified, as he witnessed the distant resurrecting wolves. Daniel’s fur was standing up on its end too, but for different reasons.
“There’s twice as many,” he reported, Keen Senses easily able to track what was happening. The two largest pieces of each torn apart body were reforming into whole wolves, and what Sense Astral picked up at this distance indicated that both individual wolves had a good amount of astral energy each. He didn’t have a baseline to judge that by as Spinner was the only one in their group to have any itself, but the alertness and coordination of the once sloths implied they were at least on par with normal level 2 enemies. “Khare, toss me a radiant dagger.”
The gestalt hesitated longer than they should have, either taken aback by the wolves or having a harder time understanding Daniel in his new state. The faint tingle of the enchanted metal felt good in his hands.
“I think this bond could let me help.” Willow didn’t sound confident at all, but there was a change in the way she stood next to Spinner. He could only guess as to what she’d gained since those fell outside the normal rules. His own body was a testament to this.
“No. Same strategy. I go out and kill, the rest of you defend here. Try to wound, heliorite could be needed to end them permanently.” He had two other ideas if that failed but neither were reliable against the now four wolves. He almost dropped the dagger as he ran out, his hands opening to prepare for the run. It seemed Longstalker’s Stride had more limitations than initially advertised. The weapon itched in his hands as it prevented him from entering the stalking trance, but he reigned in the impulse to put it in the bag as he wanted it immediately available.
Extra hands? he thought idly, though no power was forthcoming. In all honesty, he was fine skipping out on Gtoll’s four-armed power when fabricating an arm sheath later would serve the same purpose. He came to stop two dunes away from the charging wolves, half of which headed directly for him while the rest skirted around. They’d recognized he was the main threat too.
Daniel prepared to make use of the double jump power combo but hit a block as he clutched his dagger. It looked like Springing Strike also didn’t play well with it, only being compatible with natural weapons. Letting out something in the middle of a hiss and a cough, he just ran on two legs to meet the wolves. The astral energy in them coursed like a mana flow, and he sensed it fluctuate just before the wastewolves collectively used a power.
The two charging towards him shed their fur in an explosion of rapidly settling dust, draining the color away from where it fell. This didn’t contain any astral energy, though it was a magical effect he felt he should avoid. The wind carried the slightest traces of the dust to him despite his best efforts and his own fur withered, followed by an intense dry sensation when it made skin contact. While the wolves’ fur was rapidly regrowing after this, it looked like there was a cooldown that he exploited to stab a dagger through the one leading them.
Flesh around the wound immediately sizzled and began burning away as Daniel’s suspicion of a weakness to the element was confirmed. The game logic his human self was so familiar with still bled through the instincts that mainly drove his actions. Those in turn saved him as the other wolf attacked mid-strike. He couldn’t avoid all of their teeth and claws, which cut far deeper than they had before, though his healing immediately went to work as he speared it in the chest. Each strike was death no matter if he hit vitals or not as the radiant damage chased away the astral energy.
He dealt with the first half of the pack while taking only light wounds in turn. When he saw the other two were most of the way to his friends, moving faster as well, he stowed the dagger in the bag of holding to make use of his movement trance. The sudden glare of light soon broke him out of it.
The wastewolves were closing on Khiat, Khare, and Thomas. Khare had taken his advice and fired a Coordinated Strike, Daniel belatedly using Called Shot as he remembered the benefits of his other bond. Thomas wasn’t being helpful, but Khiat pulled out a stunning ability as the arrow she’d knocked glowed with a bright intensity. If it was doing what he thought it was then it must be painful for the dusker to hold it that close, but she managed and shot one of the wolves dead on. It disintegrated, the power in the arrow deadlier to the wolves than his dagger.
“Good kill!” he shouted across the desert. He hoped that completely destroying the bodies would prevent resurrection if nothing else worked. That, along with his Imbue Astral ability, were the two strategies he’d held in reserve. “How many more can you do?”
Khiat stumbled backward in answer, appearing drained from the attack. The other that was left leaped onto her with a sudden jump. He threw his dagger, snarling as it went wide. He’d really gotten too used to Snap Shot, and his new instincts did nothing for his aim.
Worse, it turned out radiant damage couldn’t provide a finishing blow when part of a wolf survived. Four came sprinting from behind him, the results of the two he’d killed splitting. They dared to ignore him and instead aim for his friends. Khare managed to hold before he got there, but Thomas was another matter. The Cleric had never been a good fighter, having been picked for the run to Roost’s Peak run only due to the need for every healer to become as strong as they could before the lightning dragon. His recently acquired level disparity did nothing to help either.
The fangs of one wolf latched onto a leg as Thomas screamed in pain and fear. There was no extra life waiting for him if he died, unlike the earlier fights he’d been in. It was the first time Daniel had seen true fear in his friend. Not even the Assassin had wanted to kill the Cleric as unyieldingly as these monsters. The thought of losing yet another friend made something burn within him. More hesitantly than the others, an awakening came.
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Eyes on Me (Ability, Charisma, Domain: Illusion, Taunt, Level: 1):
You possess the Power to attract the aggression of nearby hostile Creatures for a moderate Mana cost per affected target. This effect scales with your charisma and inversely scales with the target’s Wisdom or Intelligence, whichever is higher. Affected creatures are encouraged to attack you over all other targets for the duration of the ability. Certain circumstances, such as an attack made by another creation, may prematurely end this effect. This is a Magical Ability that does not work in an area of Magical Suppression.
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“Over here!” Daniel growled. Every wolf turned towards the lone cat as mana left him, the cost considerable despite the reduction in mana cost for using an ability below his level. Thomas groaned in pain as the fangs in him tore flesh with the motion. “Don’t attack. Let them come at me.” The wolf on Thomas let go somewhat reluctantly. It was fighting the ability but the magic held, also drawing the wolf mauling Khiat off of her. For the gestalt’s part, they’d already killed the other two with thrown heliorite daggers.
The last three died with burning wounds in their sides, the astral energy in them draining away as Daniel slashed with a dagger Khare had thrown him. A shimmering light appeared as Thomas summoned his healing bubble, closing the wounds on his leg. The Cleric’s eyes were hard as he looked up to Daniel. “You can’t do that again.”
“Do what?” Daniel asked, affronted by the challenge in the words. He was eyeing the bodies of the wolves around them warily at the same time, but none had come back yet. It’d been longer than the last few times. Had they hit the limit on their resurrection?
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“You can’t run off and leave us alone! I could have died if it had gone for my neck.”
“You can’t get strong if you rely on me,” Daniel fired back, echoing one of Gtoll’s lessons. “I know you don’t want to fight. You’re not always going to get a choice.”
“It’s not that. Hand, I know what I have to do, but you can’t be part of a team and abandon us right after you say you know we can’t handle a melee alone.” Daniel’s ears drooped as he acknowledged the point. The rush of the hunt had gotten to him and he’d let himself be baited into leaving his friends alone. The tears in Khiat’s armor struck him harder than the Cleric’s healing wounds since he knew who’d made it and how important it was to her, Sun Resistance or not.
The dusker didn’t look angry, in fact as she stood and brushed herself off, she made a very curious noise as she looked at Daniel. “Are you alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” Khiat answered with half-confidence.
That was all he needed to cement the mistake in his mind. “You’re right, Thomas. I’m sorry, I’m still figuring out all of this. Looks like the mantle makes me a bit bloodthirsty.”
“No kidding.” A pointing hand made Daniel touch his muzzle, where mostly dried blood was sticking to the fur. He hadn’t even registered the couple of times he’d bitten into shank stompers, just going with the flow of his instincts. Thomas sighed with a half-grin as he saw the conflict on Daniel’s face at that realization. “It’s a five out of five, Guy, I get it. Just remember you’re not the only one here.”
“No glory kills for the tank,” Daniel affirmed, mentally crossing his fingers. A few glory kills for the tank shouldn’t hurt. “Willow, are you alright?”
The avianoid was still sticking close to Spinner and had barely noticed the wolves get to their defensive line. She wasn’t focused on the monster itself but on her surroundings as she held a hand to her head. “They’re not dead,” she warned, putting everyone on alert. “I can still feel them. They’re here, but not here.”
Daniel began tossing the bodies away, feeling the smallest of astral energy gathering like a heart beginning to beat. One, whose body hadn’t been significantly damaged, split into two mid air. The near rotted appearance was gone as the wolves’ fur shone a sleek gray as the variant title implied. They didn’t rush upon landing, electing to wait until their brethren returned.
Surprisingly, the number of wolves from this group didn’t double, even accounting for the one Khiat’s shot had evaporated. “Something’s killing them on the other side.”
“In the Astral?” Daniel asked, making the obvious guess.
Willow didn’t understand the word but nodded. “I think? They feel like dark flames, the wolves, but these two? One is completely blank, but the other-“
“Hunter!?” Daniel cried out, seeing her eyes fall on his fur and the color pattern he’d inherited. “He is still alive.”
“Guy, Rasalia’s soul didn’t last a week!” Thomas protested. “I know you want him to still be there but it’s not possible.”
“It’s him. He’s helping us.” Daniel gestured at the wolves who were forming into one massed pack to attack theirs. “This Astral, it has to be some kind of spirit world. He’s killing the wolves in there before they can come back.”
Thomas’ conflicted look promised further debate, though the wastewolves stopped him. Howling as one they charged, fur rippled as their dust cloud attack was readied. Daniel knew it was time to release the energy Lion Charge had been steadily building and let loose with a blast more powerful than what Hunter usually preferred. Five of the wolves died due to how they were grouped, though the permanency was questionable. Get ‘em Hunter, he thought with a mix of elation and sadness. His friend was right here, but Sense Astral couldn’t copy whatever Willow’s bond had given her.
“How long can you keep up that bubble?” Daniel asked, backing away as the wolves got closer.
“Maybe a minute? It gets harder the bigger it is.” The chance to comment on his phrasing didn’t come as the fur of the wolves exploded. This time the dust was like a fog, concealing the monsters as it advanced as its own force of death.
“Do it now!” Thomas’ Vitality Bubble expanded and, as he’d hoped, the dust didn’t penetrate. The Cleric grunted with effort, the act of shielding them from the mist costing him more mana over time. Acting in opposition to his earlier promise, Daniel charged out into the cloud. He felt the nerves in his sensitive nose die, blunting his scent, and his fur withered again.
He didn’t have to wait long for one to attack him, and when it did, Daniel grabbed it and Jumped into the bubble that was just barely large enough to contain all of the fighters, as well as Silora, and Rait. Spinner and Willow were outside, though they were further away and hopefully out of the cloud. Daniel broke the wolf’s neck as he landed in the bubble. Powered up by another death as they were, they couldn’t contest him one on one in anything other than pure speed. The powers he gained in this body were just too focused on killing.
The wolf’s body melted away as it died, though the vitality bubble also shrank to expose Rait. In the time it took him to get back into the zone, his skin had turned cracked and leathery. Daniel was about to charge back out before the smart part of his brain kicked in and he just activated his taunt power. It took most of the mana he had left, but instead of circling the bubble and waiting for it to die out, the wolves charged in.
By the time the dust cleared, there were no bodies remaining aside from the initial five that Daniel had blasted. It had gotten hairy at times, but Thomas’ field also healed any injuries sustained. Just as the dust cloud had rapidly harmed Rait, it had rapidly healed him to counter any incidental wounds he took. Silora was the worst off as she wasn’t affected, though she had to have some kind of defensive power as she hadn’t been scratched. Everyone had made it, including the two outside of the bubble who had retreated when the wolves had used their ability.
Daniel frowned as he sensed the astral energy return, but only three wolves came back. Hunter had been busy on the other side, but he hadn’t gotten all of them. The frown turned into a fanged grin as he considered something. He had no way of knowing if Hunter could hear him but he spoke the words anyway, focusing on his bond in case that helped. “Hunter, leave one alive for a while. The rest of you get some rest. I’m going farming.”
…
“How strange. These are new, but I remember them. Do you?”
“No.” Hunter locked eyes with the wolf in front of him as he allowed it to leave, seeing it split into two just before it faded into the mirror ocean below him. It had taken him some time to realize why Daniel had been leaving one alive, but after that he’d allowed one of the spiritual wolves to split off with each set. It was a bit tedious, but what else did he have to do?
The thing next to him inclined its lack of a head towards him. “This thing that you do-”
“Hunt.”
“Hunt, yes. Strangely familiar. It… fits you.” The thing had no memories as they’d been alone so long they’d lost their mind. Wandering this strange place with Hunter was helping, and he’d gotten no sense of danger from them yet. That, combined with reaching Daniel, made existence here tolerable. Otherwise, there was no taste, no smell, no magic, and not even satisfaction from dispersing the glowing wolves as they reappeared. There was only the sense that Daniel was nearby, and the thing at his side.
Hunter could sense Tak as well, though the distance was far greater. While he could head towards Daniel, no amount of moving had improved the separation between him and the avianoid. He’d at least made some progress with Daniel when, two days ago, the signal had gotten far stronger. After wandering the monotonous space, he’d reached a point where he could almost feel his friend from across the divide between life and death.
“There is something else. A guardian. No?” One of the faint hand shapes of the indistinct figure moved over the front of the head shape. “Not the right word. Familiar. A class? No, they don’t have that. Can they have that? No, but they could.”
The confusion was frustratingly familiar to Hunter by now. The appearance of a fresh pair of wolves gave him a break, though the fight was disappointingly easy. The wolves had grown in power up until the third revival, when their strength stopped increasing. “Do you know anything now?”
“No,” the thing said dejectedly. “It is possible, I think. I remember… no. It is gone. I’m sorry.”
“You will remember,” Hunter replied evenly, hoping his confidence would infect the weak-willed companion. On that note, “Your name?”
“No!” The thing shouted, before taking a few steps back. “No. It still isn’t right. I, I have one, but I can’t remember. Taking another isn’t right. I just have the one name!” It was about the only thing the thing had an opinion about, even rejecting Hunter’s attempts at giving him a nickname.
“Ok.” Hunter killed another wolf and got some enjoyment out of the resignation he saw in its eyes. “We keep following Daniel?”
“Yes! Whatever you-” The thing trailed off as something strange happened. In the sky above, purple deepening to black, a light shone and fell to a point in the middle distance before wherever it landed became obscured from his sight. “Oh. Oh! It misfired. So rare. Someone must have done that… thing again.” There was a moment where the creature somehow projected profound sadness, before it was replace with determination. “We should get that!”
“What?” Hunter asked, confused as the thing became more animated, actually walking in a direction without him leading them.
“The,” his companion gestured towards the now distant light. “The thing! The, oh, I can’t remember. But it is important.”
“So is staying with Daniel.”
“You can catch up. This is important, trust me. With the new one, it might help him.”
Hunter didn’t ask what the thing meant, knowing it would be pointless. He killed both wolves this time, feeling Daniel had enough, and set out after his companion towards the distant light. Hunter had no idea if his friend could sense him in response but if he did, he hoped he’d understand that he wasn’t leaving forever. His goal was to return somehow, and this strange individual was his best bet. Even if the distant light turned out to be pointless, it was a distraction. The thought of Daniel running across more strange wolves did worry him, but only slightly. Something must have changed with his friend because he had a suspicion he’d grown a lot stronger all of a sudden. He wished he knew what had happened since, knowing Daniel, it was probably interesting.