"Take the West." Sentenza said calmly.

"We're underground!" Og'drimun shouted back.

"Doesn't change the cardinal directions." He grumbled back.

I don't think there's a sun here. Death mused.

"And probably no magnetic poles either." Lulu agreed.

Sentenza shifted his cigarillo from one side of his mouth to the other, but didn't say another word. Which was convenient as he had to roll out of the way as the robot slammed its fist down where he had been a moment before.

"Wish it wasn't so open down here." Sentenza remarked. "We're far too exposed in this place."

Ted looked around. It was a lot more intense actually standing outside amidst the fighting. It almost felt like there was a giant weight thrust upon his shoulders. Like a giant had their thumb pressing down on him, and threatening to force him to the floor.

It was so much, that he even struggled to open his throat. Almost like there was a threat. That something was waiting to retaliate against him if he dared reopen his mouth.

He looked at the wolf and the robot smashing around as Sentenza and Bakade tried to fight back. Although the two of them ended up looking more like they were just dodging attacks rather than actually threating the robot or wolf at all. There was a pull from somewhere deep inside him. His friends looked like they were in trouble. He knew that he should try to help them. No, that he had to help them.

But, as he finally opened his mouth, no words would come. His mouth hung wide open as he just stared.

The wolf turned and locked his eye with Ted'd. Ted felt like his blood had turned to ice in his veins as the predator glared at him. Even though the wolf was clearly injured far beyond what most things should survive, he didn't act like he had been hurt at all.

And as he jumped towards Ted, he looked even more vicious than before. Ted was frozen in place by his own indecision. He couldn't bring himself to speak, and now he couldn't bring himself to even move. Though with how quickly the wolf was closing the gap between them, he doubted he could've made any real difference.

SCHWING!

The wolf's blade sung through the air as it cut across at Ted's neck level. However, the robot had brought down its hand between Ted and the wolf. The ice blade cut through the armor and circuitry as sparks and oil spewed out from the first true injury the machine had taken.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

BANG!

A bullet dug into the blade of the sword, and a moment later the ice shattered into thousand of pieces.

The wolf jumped back as his weapon had been destroyed yet again.

"If you were just going to stand there like a log, you may as well have stayed inside the room." Sentenza scolded Ted before he hacked phlegm from the back of his throat and then spat it out onto the ground.

"Aaaarrreee yyyoouuu aaalllrriiiiggghhttt?" Bakade asked as she rushed to Ted's side.

As rhe robot's hand lifted away, Ted got a good look at Nugget. The poor hen was a mess. Ted's mind flashed back to that one night Nugget limped back through the mist. She could barely stand, and had to stay in their room for what felt like years while she healed.

Anger began to boil up I side Ted's gut. Seeing her torn apart so much seemed to trigger something in him. He reached out for the hen, and Bakade looked concerned, but pulled the chicken out from under her arm and handed her over to Ted.

He could feel the cuts underneath her feathers. Lying on his arm like she was, it was all too obvious how much she had been through. Burns, cuts, bruises, even a severed limb. Ted pulled her close to him, and held her against his chest.

He felt hot. Hotter than he ever had before. Anger continued to bubble up inside him as he looked out at the robot and the wolf.

"What happened to her..." Ted whispered.

The wolf's ears perked up and he turned towards Ted. His one eye locked with the human's. But this time, Ted didn't waiver. The boiling rage inside him seemed to stave off the frigid cold.

"What happened to her?" He said even louder as he stared down the ice wolf.

"IIIIIII....IIIIII dddooonnn'ttttt kkkknnnooowwww," Bakade said sorrowfully.

Even though the wolf's mouth was frozen shut, it was almost like he was smirking.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" Ted roared.

This was it. Courage raised alongside his fury. The wolf had left her on Death's door. His hand clenched into a fist, and it almost felt like he was on fire. Bakade was still next to him, but he took a step forward.

And that was it. He was blinded by rage, and that one step turned into another, then another. He was now sprinting forward towards the wolf while crying out in anger.

Sentenza smirked from the side and nodded his head. He lowered his gun as he watched Ted run forward with a chicken held against his chest and a fist in the air.

It was mostly comical, but the spirit was there. Ted clearly had no real experience, and was just going by instinct, and more likely what he had seen in movies.

Whoo! Let's go bro! Show him what you're made of!! Death howled happly.

"Hit him in the snout! It's the weak spot!" Og'drimun shouted from inside his protective cage.

"I didn't think the guy had it in him," Lulu scoffed in obvious shock as she shook her head.

Bakade was stunned silent as she watched the obvious disaster unfold. Even the robot seemed mesmerized by the display.

But, the wolf seemed hungry more than anything.

Skkkksshhh!

His ice sword sprung forward again even bigger, and more jagged than before. His one eye stared down Ted as he crouched slightly, and then dashed towards the human man.

The smell of death surrounded the wolf, and as soon as the predator leaped forward, all of Ted's bravado drained from his body.

His face sunk as the cold sweat of fear overtook him. As the wolf closed in, Ted scrambled to stop himself and turn around to flee.

What was he thinking, he couldn't do this. This wolf was huge, and clearly had some crazy powers on top of that! All he could do here was die!

Pockets held a hand in front of her mouth as she couldn't help but laugh. "No way. That's too perfect." The carnie turned clown cackled. "Serious instant regret!"

Bakade's claw had already grasped the back of Ted's shirt. In her rush, her claws dug ever so slightly into Ted's back as they tore right through his shirt.

She flung him with all her might as she flew past him, and the two of them just managed to avoid getting torn apart by the wolf's giant sword.

"Dang it," Sentenza whispered to himself. "I could've sworn I saw something in him...if only he'd make a grab for it."

Ted rolled along the ground, but managed to keep Nugget in his arms. However, he had passed out. The flash of raw fear after his bravado turned out to be too much for him. Bakade rushed over to check on Ted and Nugget.

As her hands ran over the two of them, the wolf turned to face their small group. But, as he stepped forward there was a loud,

CLANG!

As a bear trap closed around the wolf's front leg. The spiked mouth froze over before it could dig into his skin, but the pressure still closed around his leg and forced him to stop.

"Oopsie," Pockets giggled. "I just couldn't bear to leave you alone any longer."

In the distance, on another plane of existence, a giant worm let out a dry, wheezing laugh.