The wolves leaped at Ike. Ike raised his sword. The higher wolf crashed into it nose-first and fell back, crying in pain. The lower wolf smashed into his ankles, throwing its weight against his body. He stumbled, his stance broken. Another wolf closed in, darting at his feet. Ike threw himself backward. The wolf lunged. Its blow missed him, but the two of them tangled together, stuck around Ike’s ankles. He kicked it away and jumped back again.

The wolves circled, trying to get behind him. Ike backed away steadily, keeping his sword between him and the wolves. He glanced up, checking on the big silver wolf.

It had vanished. Completely gone.

That’s not good.

Bright white light. A crack, so loud his ears rang. Force slammed into him. Ike stumbled again. Little tendrils of lightning struck the ground all around him.

The silver wolf walked out of the woods, still sparking with electricity. It lowered its head. Silver eyes watched Ike with cold intelligence.

Ike hunkered. Casually, he swept his hand through the remnants of the electricity flickering all around and drew it into his core, activating the Clad skill for a split second. The Clad skills allowed him to convert lightning to mana, and vice versa. It rarely came up, but he wasn’t going to ignore the chance when it arose.

Even if Rosamund knew about the Clad skills, which I doubt, there’s no way she’d know about that small side effect. She won’t be watching closely now; she’ll be watching closely when I attack. And that’s when I won’t use my Lightning Dash-based skills.

The little electricity he absorbed smarted at his skin. His veins trembled, almost shattering. Ike grimaced. It was too easy to overload the skill right now. This small quantity of electricity almost pushed beyond what he could absorb. If my Clad skills were higher level, I wouldn’t need to use the toad skin. I’d just absorb its electricity directly. As it is, I desperately need the toadskin to survive.

The wolves circled around him. All at once, they rushed in. Ike swung at them, but they dashed away at the last second, revealing the silver wolf in their midst. It leaped at Ike.

Extended from his swing, he yanked his arm back up, but too slow. The wolf’s teeth dug into his shoulder. There was no pain, not for the moment. Just the sensation of tearing flesh and the hot rush of blood.

Ike threw his blade into his off-hand. Pushing it away with his bitten arm, he hacked at the wolf’s side randomly, no skill in the strike.

The wolf’s thick fur fell away. It growled and shook its head, digging in deeper.

Abruptly, Ike stopped pushing it away. He grabbed it around the neck instead, holding it still, and drew the sword back. The wolf struggled, but Ike refused to let it go. He slashed deep into its side. It yelped and twisted ferociously, finally yanking free, but not without paying the price. Crimson blood spilled down its side.

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Ike took a sharp breath, circulating his mana. He stared down the wolf. The other wolves paced around him, growling and yapping. They circled, appearing out of the corners of his eyes and drawing his attention. A crackle of electricity sounded from behind him, but it sparked off the toadskin without harming Ike.

The silver wolf faced off against Ike. Blood dripped down its side. It growled deep in its throat, and licked lips stained with Ike’s blood.

Ike lifted his free hand and whistled. “Come here, boy.”

The wolf’s eyes narrowed. It glanced at the wolves on the left and tilted its head.

The wolves from Ike’s left lunged at him. He jumped back, fleeing the charge. His feet slipped, and his heels slid up over a gap. He looked over his shoulder.

Behind him, the Abyss gaped. Darkness swirled in its depths. Ike sucked a breath and swayed back to the edge, grabbing ahold of a nearby tree.

The wolves crept closer, their heads low. They moved as one, crawling low to the forest floor. At their rear, the silver wolf prowled in, each step slow, deliberate.

Ike laughed. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Smart.”

The silver wolf growled in response. Abruptly, it lifted its head and howled. The other wolves howled in response, then leaped at Ike.

I can’t afford to hold back any longer. There’s no point worrying about what Rosamund’s going to do to me when the other option is death. He slammed his foot down on the ground and leaped into the air, his legs clad in lightning.

The wolves slammed into one another. One tumbled over the edge with a yelp, vanishing into the darkness. The silver wolf turned its head, watching Ike soar. It bent down, then leaped, chasing after him in a bolt of lightning-clad silver.

Ike circulated his mana faster. Lightning flickered over his arms as well. He reached out and grabbed the wolf by the shoulders. In one fluid motion, he leapfrogged over the silver wolf. Landing on the other side, he skidded to a halt in the slippery mould.

The silver wolf pedaled in midair, its eyes wide. It whooshed out over the edge of the Abyss and dropped into the depths.

The other wolves ran to the edge of the Abyss. They cried out, calling down to the silver wolf. One laid down flat at the edge and reached its nose down, but couldn’t come close to reaching it. They ran from point to point, swarming over one another, crying mournfully into the depths.

Ike stood. He lowered his sword. There’s no need to attack them anymore. The wolf with the skill is gone. So much for my scouting run. “The hunt is over.”

“That’s right. It’s over.”

All around Ike, the forest came to life. The branches scraped at him, and vines surged out of the ground to bind his legs. He jumped away, but the undergrowth was already reaching out for him where he landed. Ike slashed it away and darted the opposite direction, zig-zagging through the forest.

His heels reached the edge of the Abyss again. Ike stopped, catching his breath.

Rosamund lowered down to float in front of him. She looked down at him, tilting her head back. “You have my skill. Give it back.”

“What skill do I have? You don’t own all the skills in the world,” Ike returned.

Uninterested in talking, Rosamund closed the gap. The crystal dagger flashed in her hand.

All around him, the plants whirled, slicing at the air. They lunged for Ike, cutting off any hope of escape.

He laughed. All at once, he activated Lightning Grasp. Faster than Rosamund could move, even with her higher Rank, he grabbed her by the collar and yanked. At the same time, he kicked off the edge with Lightning Dash, propelling himself into the Abyss.

All was lost. She knew he had her skill. She had the ultimate upper hand. Status. Money. Power. He had no chance of surviving in the city or in the forest. Now that she knew, there was only one way for Ike to survive.

“If you want it, then follow me into the Abyss.” Holding her collar tight, he plummeted into the dark.