Something, deep down there in Caau’s not-brain, snaps. He suddenly sees the world in more than just passing.

Arden is going to die. Onyx is going to die.

This is not a game. Not anymore.

[ Ability received: A God’s Commandment ]

He commands the four pikemen to stop their shriveling in fear, and rush forward. A moment of hesitation, then they rush into the rapidly clearing smoke. Quartz unleashes a blast of light on his order, and Sapphire zips under the ensuing blast to wrench a dagger between the armour plates of the armour.

The screaming ceases, the armour drops forward. Onyx stands upright, pieces of stone cracking of in thick, heavy chunks. He raises the [ Axe of Long Reach ] upon high, activates his now-full [ Retribution ], and the axe begins to glow with an invisible energy.

Onyx activates [ Goblin’s Wrath I ]

The axe swings with all the speed of a diving falcon, and into the armour does it carve deep. Rending metal gives way to ethereal flesh and echoing screams. Caau presses him forward, shoving Onyx’s hand inside the armour until the stone-tight grip secures a hold.

Then he has him activate [ Goblin’s Wrath I ], expending the second charge.

The wraith inside is ripped through the tiny crack in the armour, torn to pieces by the jagged metal. It dies screaming. The guardians turn — rushing towards Arden.

The four pikemen stab at the larger ogre, who holds his mace aloft. A thick, shimmering red energy surrounds it. Strauss slashes at Cokro’s stomach, forcing him away from the other ogre.

Sapphire joins him. Together, they whirl around the ogre. When it swings the club to dissuade one, the other cuts a score into the ogre’s thick flesh.

It roars… and it releases the detainment. Arden is as quick as a flash. He seizes the bulging windpipe of the ogre, and thus is it silenced. In place of the roar, Arden begins to sing, and a moment later the barrier around him grows. The club smacks upon him twice before the ogre drops to its knees.

It tries to wrench the grip away, but Arden’s arm barely moves. “And so it was… that you entrapped me.” He sings, tightening the grip evermore. “And so it shall be the last thing you do.”

The other ogre roars, but Quartz slams a blast of Celestial energy into it as it moves forward. Four pikes stab out in unison, piercing the ogre’s flesh in the back, the shoulder, and two times in the stomach. It stomps backwards, towards the wall. Toward safety.

Caau looks through Ardens eyes. Cokro scrapes at the boy’s arm, strength fading, life leaving, death coming. The eyes roll back. Still, Arden does not release his grip. Not even when the body slumps.

The other ogre drops to his knees. His interest in fighting seemingly gone. “Cokro! Please! Release him! You cannot kill him!”

Arden turns his head ever-so-slightly. A lull in the fighting. Caau ceases the guardians, and the pikemen.

This is Arden’s choice.

“Why?” Arden asks. The ogre shakes his head. “He is my brother. I cannot let this happen! My master be damned! Please! Release him!”

Arden pulls the ogre by the windpipe, so that he can face the other. “Your name, ogre?”

“Orkoc! Please! I can feel that he goes soon! I will do anything! Take my life, if you must!”

Arden looks at his free hand. He tightens it into a fist.

“Then kneel in front of a new master. My master.” He speaks, loud, clear, and authoritative. “Do this, and know safety. Else perish.”

The ogre looks at his brother… and back to Arden… then to the myriad people surrounding him. At the pikemen, at the guardians.

He lays his mace on the floor. “I am sorry, Master.”

[ 33/100 Followers ]

Arden’s grip releases. The unconscious ogre takes a deep gulp of air, scrambling to claw at his throat — but then the arms drop back. Orkoc scrambles over, tears streaming down his face, and puts his hand on his brother’s chest and presses it in and out as if he could pour the air into his lungs manually.

Caau turns his attention to Graskull and, for that matter, Ameior.

They are just sitting there?

He was focused on other matters, and hadn’t had the opportunity to check in with them. Besides, they are experienced champions. Why would he need to check on them?

“It looks as though my allies are defeated, kin. Are you ready, yet, to tear each other bloody?” speaks the enemy lupis. He’s got dark-red eyes, and his skin is an ashen white, covered by black fur to give him a grey look. A very large sword is laid across his crossed legs, and he matches the heavy, constant gaze of Graskull with little fear.

Graskull grits his teeth, staring down the other werewolf. “You do not have to fight. I have found two homes in my teething. One, a sanctum, where I was valued. Another… a Sanctuary… were I may be loved, in time.”

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

The older lupis stands up, bringing the large blade up with him and stabbing it into the ground. Arden flanks him, but Graskull shoves up a hand. “If we are to fight him, it will be done alone. If I should fall, then you may take my place.”

Arden stares at Graskull. “Please.”

The boy steps back. Graskull lifts himself up, swinging his axe about him.

“I am glad, truly, that you have found a home, boy.” Speaks the grey wolf. “If you are the victor, fight for that home until the day you perish. I long for the day we have another. Even if I will never see it.”

Graskull places the axe across him. “You could see it, kin. If you would only lay down your blade.” The tone almost sounds like begging.

The old lupis doesn’t respond any further. Instead, he closes his eyes. Dark-red energy condenses on the blade, surrounding the edge, swirling and crackling a it fights to form a solid figure.

[ Combat Begins ]

??? Uses [ Focused I ]

—> Set maximum item overtake to ‘1’. Base weapon striking range increased by 50%. Cannot be disarmed. If wielded normally, and exclusively, weapon stats increase by 20%.

Graskull’s [ Lifesteal ] resource is set to 0

Graskull’s ‘Momentum’ stacks set to 0.

Graskull rushes forward, aiming his axe for the old wolf’s head in a smooth arc. [ Quick Barrier ] sees the enemy wolf flick up a dark-red barrier instantly. In the same motion, he draws back his sword, placing the handle against his hip.

Graskull smashes through the barrier. The wolf’s sword thrusts upwards. Graskull shifts, and the blade stabs deep into his arm. The axe carves a thick chunk of flesh from the stomach before the wolf drops back.

As soon as the sword is out of Graskull’s arm, it knits back together just a little bit.

The grey lupis laughs. “Your name, kin?” He asks. Graskull flicks the blood from the axe, looking up and snarling. “Graskull. Of Clan Clarr.”

The wolf’s eyes light up. “Ah. The crusader clan. No wonder you fight well. I am Rakkhe, of Clan Rankei.”

Without another word, they shove forward at each other. A flurry of barriers, slashes, stabs, cuts, and a broken collarbone sees Graskull growing with each attack. Caau looks at him closer, with the information skill.

[ Graskull has 20 ‘Momentum’ stacks. ]

What is that?

Each stack of momentum gives Graskull a bonus. There is an equal amount of stacks on the opponent that does the opposite.

The old wolf lowers the blade, and begins to walk towards Graskull. When he’s just a couple steps beyond being able to strike, his sword lashes out from his hand and rakes across Graskull’s chest.

[ Rakkhe uses ability [ Retreat I ] ]

The lupis looks down in surprise a half second before he screams out in pain. He lunges for the other werewolf, who backs away, staying just out of range of Graskull’s axe. Regardless of how fast Graskull seems to be, he can’t catch the other.

[ Rakkhe uses ability [ Retreat I ] ]

With each second, the sword comes down, stabbing into Graskull’s arm, leg, and then his stomach. The wolf drops.

And there is the cost of making your entire class about hitting the other person. If they can avoid you entirely…

Rakkhe holds the blade above Graskull, keeping it there to speak. “If you should meet my son in the halls of hunters, name him Rakkhai and be known as friends. I will—“

[ Unsent ]

—> For each time an ally takes 5% of their health, you gain a ‘Unsent’ charge. You may use this charge when firing [ Unsent Revenge ] to summon 2 spectral 50% weapon damage bolts per charge, that surround the target and fly towards them at the same speed as your fired bolt.

Rakkhe’s eyes widen. He uses [ Quick Barrier I ] to splay out a shield that covers half of him. The other half is impaled by no less than three bolts. The barrier cracks — and the bolt loosed by Ameior slots neatly into the wolf’s head.

He drops.

Ameior lunges for Graskull, placing his hands over the lupis’ body, checking the wounds… or searching for something. He finds a small vial, the [ Abyssal Energy Containment ], and breaks it over Graskull’s body.

It’s much the same effect as when the women that took Caau’s key used the glowing-golden liquid in a vial. Only, instead of roving like a wave of healing light, it crawls like spiders up and around the lupis’ body.

A spider crawls into a wound, and the seals up like it was never there it begin with. Ameior pulls him up, wrapping him in a tight hug. The lupis shoves him away. “You… should not have done that.”

Ameior’s smile darkens. He turns away.

“There are customs… they should not be broken.” Graskull looks at the corpse. “I should not be alive.”

He grabs at Rakkhe’s blade, lifting it up — and bringing it to his neck.

[ Arden’s barrier takes damage. 200 —> 150 ]

Arden wrenches the blade from Graskul’s hand, then pulls the wolf’s arms behind his back. “You will not do that.”

The lupis snarls, bites, but Arden is both behind him and stronger. He remains content to hold him until the wolf calms down. Arden picks up the blade, throwing it away — and only then does he release the once-champion.

Ameior puts out a hand — the wolf snaps at it. “I will not be continuing. Begone, Ameior. And the rest of you.”

What the hell just happened. He wants to die?

The Lupis are a special people. All of them are descendants from only ten denmothers. At that point… they are essentially cousins to each other. It is set in their code that if a Lupis should come to blows with another, that it be a fight they win — or lose — alone.

Sure, but he didn’t die. Shouldn’t be unhappy about that by any means.

Caau commands them all — minus Graskull and Onyx — to assemble in front of the big stone door. Beyond, there is a thrumming, squelching sound that ebbs and flows with each second.

Arden opens the door, pushing it aside. A red fog is ahead of them, obscuring any vision they might have.

[ Boss Fight: Mekka-Mekka, The Strongest Gorakhin. ]

Ready Y/N?

Caau accepts. The red fog clears.

Bones and blood. A monstrously fat goblin sits upon a pile of still-red bones. A goblin’s leg enters his mouth, and he clutches the bone with a fat, strong finger. His teeth shred the meat from it, and his maw eviscerates it with a set of far-too-many teeth.

His skin is bloated, red, and angry. His eyes are alight with dark energy, and he pauses… then turns to look at the assembled expedition. He snarls, then falls forward.

The arms have grown. Mekka-Mekka, to Granite’s eyes, was barely a meter tall, yet the arms were enough to lift him from the ground. They stretch from the goblin’s back, a thick, massive arm slamming into a pile of bones and crushing them into fine powder. Another appears, and the infernal-blood champion’s bulbous mass is lifted from the ground.

It towers over them, a hunger in its eyes.

[ Dungeon Boss Identified ]

Mekka-Mekka, The Strongest Goblin

[ATK][Unyielding Force II][STR] + [ATK][Artificer I][INT] + [DEF][Coercive I][CHA]

[ Path of the Infernal Monster ]

“I am Mekka-Mekka. I am the Embodiment of Hunger,” It declares. "You are meat."